Kulsoom Nawaz has lymphoma, confirms Maryam

LONDON: Maryam Nawaz Sharif has revealed that her mother Kulsoom Nawaz was diagnosed with lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph nodes on the left side of her neck.

"Her treatment begins immediately," said Maryam on Twitter on Wednesday. She further said that doctors are hopeful that the disease is curable since it has been diagnosed at an early stage.

This correspondent learned from a source that the former Prime Minister’s wife has contracted “a kind of blood cancer” and she has been referred to cancer specialists.

According to the source, her treatment includes chemotherapy and more tests and investigation is to be carried out “for devising the treatment, its intensity and frequency of the chemo”.

When asked about the nature of cancer, the source informed that doctors have told Begum Nawaz that her “initial tests” suggest that her cancer is curable.

But the medical source told this reporter that a lot will depend on “how well Begum Nawaz reacts to chemotherapy.”

“It will be determined after her first chemo,” the source said.

On Wednesday, cancer counsellors were to meet Begum Nawaz to brief her about the nature of her illness, their treatment plan and what it will involve. It has been reliably learnt that her treatment will start early next week at a clinic situated in the neighbourhood of Hasan Nawaz Sharif’s residence near Park Lane.

She was in high spirits during meetings with the doctors and after learning about the diagnosis.

Speaking to this scribe, Mohammad Butt, Consultant Medical Oncologist at the Hull and East Yorkshire NHS trust, said that common perception about blood cancer is Leukemia and Myeloma but Lymphomas are also part of the spectrum covering blood cancer as they originate from lymphatic system closely linked with blood.

He said the pathway for treatment involves proper diagnostic tests including scans like CT / PET scan and confirmation of the type with biopsy, usually of a gland. Generally, a patient is treated with chemotherapy first, and radiotherapy follows after the completion of chemotherapy, if needed.

Dr Butt said treatment depends upon the type, grade, stage, and how extensive the spread is. “Some low-grade Lymphoma’s may not require any treatment except surveillance while others may require chemotherapy and radiotherapy, as well as some newer kind of cancer treatments. The duration of treatment will vary accordingly but an average six months for common type is required.

He said that most lymphoma’s are now curable especially diagnosed at early stage but no prediction can be made unless full medical file seen.

Lymphoma is currently the fifth most common cancer diagnosed by clinicians in the UK (after breast, lung, colon and prostate cancers). It is the most common blood cancer.

Lymphoma can occur at any age. It is the most common cancer affecting those under the age of 30 and around 1 in 10 cancers diagnosed in children are lymphomas.

According to various definitions, Lymphoma is a type of blood cancer that affects blood cells called lymphocytes and the lymphocyte-producing cells in your body.

Lymphocytes are one type of white blood cell and are part of the immune system, which defends the body against infection. When you have lymphoma some of your lymphocytes don’t work properly. Sometimes they aren’t developed fully (they’re immature), they divide in an abnormal way, or they don’t die when they should.

Begum Kulsoom Nawaz left for London unexpectedly on August 17 for a medical checkup – on the day when her nomination papers for NA120 were accepted amid political hype.

Her departure made headlines because she left ahead of her scheduled appearance before the Election Commission of Pakistan, where her nomination papers were to be scrutinised for the upcoming NA-120 by-poll.

The NA120 seat fell vacant after former PM Nawaz Sharif was disqualified by the Supreme Court in the Panamagate case on July 28 in relation to an Iqama and the allegation by the court that he concealed his salary from a Dubai-based company, which he claims he had never received and for which there is no evidence.

PML-N has said that election campaign in NA-120 will go ahead regardless as local teams are working at all levels. PML-N says that the local election campaigning team is involved in door to door campaigning and where needed Maryam Nawaz Sharif will also be involved in the campaign.