Roger O’Donnell, a member of The Cure, has announced that he has been battling a rare form of blood cancer for a year now and is urging people to get tested.
- Blood cancer is considered a serious and potentially fatal disease. Often very aggressive, these types of cancers can spread rapidly throughout the body. The survival of patients 5 years after diagnosis varies significantly depending on the type of disease, its stage of progression, age and general health of the person affected.
- Each year, more than 33,000 blood cancers are diagnosed in France, especially in children, young adults and the elderly, according to the Curie Institute. There are three types: leukemia, myeloma and lymphoma, which represent about half of the cases.
- These cancers are abnormalities in the maturation process of blood cells: a kind of error that causes a cell in the process of development to begin to multiply abnormally – which disrupts the development of its neighbors.
The Cure keyboardist Roger O’Donnell announced on Monday, September 2, during Blood Cancer Awareness Month, that he has been diagnosed with “very rare and very aggressive form of lymphoma”a type of blood cancer. In a post on his X account, the musician revealed that he was diagnosed a year ago, adding that he had “ignored symptoms for several months” before finally consulting.
“Cancer can be beaten”
“The crazy axe killer knocked on my door but we didn’t answer”he wanted to reassure. “I completed the eleven months of treatment thanks to some of the best specialists in the world. […] I’m doing well and the prognosis is incredible.” The artist, who joined The Cure in 1987, encouraged fans of the rock group to get tested.
“Cancer can be beaten. If you’re diagnosed early, you have a better chance of beating it. So all I can say is, get tested if you think you have symptoms,” he wrote. “If you know someone who is sick, talk to them. Every word helps. Trust me, I know what I’m talking about.”
September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month so it’s a good opportunity to have a dialogue about these diseases. In September last year I was diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive form of lymphoma. I had ignored the symptoms for a few months but finally went… pic.twitter.com/8Xftcd5nPL
— Roger O’Donnell (@RogerODonnellX) September 1, 2024
33,000 new people diagnosed with blood cancer each year
Blood cancer is considered a serious and potentially fatal disease. Often very aggressive, these types of cancers can spread rapidly throughout the body. The survival of patients 5 years after diagnosis varies significantly depending on the type of disease, its stage of progression, age and general health of the person affected.
Every year, more than 33,000 blood cancers are diagnosed in France, especially in children, young adults and the elderly, according to the Curie Institute. There are three types: leukemia, myeloma and lymphoma, which account for about half of all cases. These cancers are abnormalities in the maturation process of blood cells: a kind of error that causes a cell in the process of development to start multiplying abnormally – which disrupts the development of its neighbors.
Hematologic cancers can cause anemia, a deficiency of red blood cells, which manifests itself in symptoms such as chronic fatigue, bone pain, abnormal bleeding or frequent infections. Recognized risk factors include chemotherapy or radiation treatment for a previous cancer, a deficient immune system, being overweight, smoking, certain genetic diseases, exposure to certain chemical or physical substances, or certain viruses such as the Epstein-Barr virus or hepatitis C.
