Louis Walsh has provided a positive health update after he revealed his cancer diagnosis earlier this year.
Appearing on Celebrity Big Brother back in March, the former X-Factor judge told housemates that he had been diagnosed with Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia in 2020.
The illness is a slow-growing and rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that affects blood cells called plasma cells.
UPDATE
Appearing on the latest episode of Nicky Byrne’s podcast, Louis confirmed he was thankfully ‘fine now‘ and currently ‘in remission.’
‘I’m fine now,’ he told the Westlife singer, ‘I did have a thing called Waldenstrom cancer. It’s a blood cancer. I didn’t realise until I went to the Mater Private to check me out.
‘I was told it’s fine, it’s manageable and I’m in remission and I’m feeling good.’
Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia
The American Cancer Society explains that the cancer starts in B cells and features both plasma cells and lymphocytes — making it similar to multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
WM cells make large amounts of a certain type of antibody, which is known as macroglobulin. The build-up in the body can lead to many of the symptoms associated with the illness.
The WM cells grow predominantly in the bone marrow, leading to feelings of weakness and tiredness due to the low levels of red blood cells.
It can also be known as lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma or Waldenstrom’s.
It typically affects people aged 65 years and older.
Symptoms
Patients can become anaemic due to the fact that the WM cells grow in bone marrow, where they can crowd out normal cells.
Low levels of red blood cells can result in feeling tired and weak as a result. Low levels of white blood cells, make it harder for the body to fight infection while a drop in the number of platelets results in increased bleeding and bruising.
Other symptoms include problems with vision as well as problems with the nervous systems.
The cells can also grow in organs such as the liver and spleen, which can result in the organs swelling and leading to abdominal pain.
TREATMENT
The American Cancer Society notes that not everyone with the cancer needs to be treated immediately — people who don’t suffer with serious symptoms, can just be monitored and treated at a later stage if necessary.
The two main treatments are chemotherapy and different types of biological therapy/ immunotherapy.
