What is Hodgkin’s lymphoma, the terminal disease of influencer Isabel Veloso

The influencer Isabel Veloso lives with a personal drama two years ago. In 2022, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

She is currently with 17 years old and only has a few months to livebecause cancer terminal did not respond to chemotherapy treatment.

Isabel’s husband, Lucas Borbas, updated the influencer’s health status, this Tuesday (30), via social media.

The young woman suffered a “threat of heart attack”, on Monday (29), which caused the couple to interrupt their honeymoon. “Isabel is fine! She underwent tests at the cardiologist. On medical recommendation, rest day”, Lucas posted.

The influencer received a medical report stating that she has “Hodgkin’s lymphoma unresponsive to chemotherapy treatment” and that she is undergoing “exclusive palliative care”which includes medicine based on cannabidiola substance found in marijuana.

Understand what Hodgkin’s lymphoma is

Juliana Tavares, oncologist, specialized in palliative care, explains that Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a cancer that does not affect organs, but rather the lymphatic system. “It’s the lymphatic chain that we have in the body, where some immunity cells are stored”, she says, in an interview with Forum.

She exemplifies: “When we have a sore throat, it is from the lymphatic chain that defense cells are recruited to combat sore throat, earache, toothache, in short, inflammatory and infectious processes in the body”.

Therefore, according to Juliana, Lymphoma is a cancer that begins in the lymphatic system. “That’s why we often discover when a person has an enlarged lymph node in their body.”

“Sometimes, it is normal to have an enlarged lymph node, when you have a sore throat or earache, for example. For a woman who is breastfeeding and has some inflammation in her breast, it is normal to have enlarged lymph nodes in the armpit. However, when these lymph nodes enlarge without explanation, we tend to suspect a disease of the lymphatic system. And one of the diseases is cancer”, he reports.

Juliana clarifies that the particularity of Hodgkin’s lymphoma is that affects young people, as is the case of Isabel. The cure rate is very high and treatment is generally chemotherapy.

“With chemotherapy, most people are cured. When it is not cured, there are other treatment modalities, including bone marrow transplant”, he says.

However, the oncologist warns that, despite this, it is a threatening disease, like any other oncological disease. And, therefore, a percentage of people develop more serious problems and are not cured.

“As it is not a lung, breast or pancreas cancer that affects solid organs, in Hodgkin’s lymphoma, the person often ends up becoming more tired, fatigued, with a little anemia. That’s why, Often, treatment ends up causing more symptoms than the disease”, he highlights.

“In many cases, you look at someone who has lymphoma and you don’t tell them they are seriously ill. As far as I know, most people with lymphoma end up dying due to complications from the oncological treatment itself, due to infectious processes”, highlights Juliana.

The doctor says that she came across Isabel Veloso’s case on social media and mentions that her case is a good example, as the influencer does not appear to be seriously ill.

“In short, it is a threatening and potentially fatal disease. In these cases, palliative care is an approach that we take for any life-threatening illness, whether fatal or not”, adds Juliana.