Hodgkins' Lymphoma is the most common cancer in young people between the ages of 15 and 35 and people above 55 years.

Dr Hamza Basheer with the Internal Medicine Department of the 37 Military Hospital revealed this on Joy FM's Ultimate Health hosted by Nortey Dua on Sunday.

Hodgkins Lymphoma is a type of cancer that involves uncontrollable growth of cells in the lymph nodes, he explained.

According to him, 23,000 out of 83,000 people diagnosed with the disease worldwide died in 2020. And in Ghana, 64 people out of 146 new cases recorded in 2021 passed away.

A 19-year-old young Ghanaian student of UPSA, Michael De Graft was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma and died sadly.

His mother, therefore, set up the “Michael De Graft Memorial Foundation” to raise awareness about Hodgkins Lymphoma, raise funds to help people who cannot pay their hospital bills and also share the word of God to encourage people living with the disease.

Unfortunately, there are no known causes of Hodgkin's Lymphoma but speaking about the risk factors of the disease, a Hematologist with the University of Ghana Medical Centre, Dr. Nana Agyeiwaa Awuku said the disease is associated with people who have HIV infection.

“There’s increased risk in a first-degree relative. If someone has Hodgkins Lymphoma, there's a probability that another relative of that person could have the disease”, Dr Awuku mentioned.

Moreover, people who are involved in woodwork farming, or deal with industrial solvents are also at risk of getting the disease.

What is mind-boggling, however, is the fact that there are people who do not get exposure to any of these things, but will still get Hodgkins Lymphoma. And more males are liable to get the disease than females.

Elaborating on the symptoms of the disease, Dr Basheer said people who are affected by the disease are likely to have an enlarged lymph node on the sides of their neck, in the armpit, under the chin, behind the ear, above the collarbone, and also in the groin, and the lymph node stays there for a few months.

Other symptoms include unexplained fever for a long period of time, unexplained night sweats, undesired weight loss, and Itching for a prolonged duration.

“For conclusive diagnosis of the disease, a person must go to a hospital for a sample of the swollen lymph node to be taken for biopsy and sent to the pathology lab for further investigations” Dr. Awuku stated.

She said once a person is diagnosed with the disease, doctors stage it to know the severity before prescribing the treatment modalities which include radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

The slightly good news is that compared to other cancers, Hodgkins' Lymphoma is relatively treatable.