Found a lump and will die younger despite nuclear treatment'

Ben Wagenmann, a 27-year-old German student living in Switzerland, says a cancer diagnosis tied to a form of radionuclide (“nuclear”) treatment left him “literally radioactive” and ultimately means his life is likely to be shorter. Diagnosed at 25 with a rare cervical paraganglioma in the carotid artery—cancer affecting fewer than one in 100,000 people—he said a neck lump persisted for months after a ski trip and chest infection. MRI later found a tumour up to 6cm, and a PET scan just before Christmas showed spinal metastases. Radionuclide therapy stopped further spread but did not shrink the tumour, shifting goals to prolonging life.