Neuroendocrine tumor of the pancreas, the expert explains what the disease that affected Fedez is
Fedez was operated on for pancreatic cancer. The rapper himself revealed it on Instagram: “Last week I discovered I have a rare endocrine tumor of the pancreas. One of those who if you don’t get them in time is not a nice cohabitant to have inside your body. Reason for which I had to undergo a surgery that lasted 6 hours to remove a part of the pancreas (including the tumor) “.
Benedetta de Mattei ah interviewed the prof. Claudio Bassi – Director of the Pancreas Institute of the Verona Hospital and Director of the School of Specialization in General Surgery of the University of Verona – to understand what neuroendocrine tumor of the pancreas is, how to get to the diagnosis, what are the symptoms and what it is the prognosis.
What is Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Cancer
The pancreas is the organ, located deep in the abdomen, which is responsible for produce different hormonesamong which theinsulin (which helps regulate blood sugar metabolism) and various enzymes useful for digestion. Pancreatic cancer develops when certain cells of the organ multiply without control and there are different types: in the vast majority of cases (about 95%) it is exocrine tumors which is formed in the exocrine portion of the pancreas, responsible for the production of enzymes; rarer it’s me instead neuroendocrine tumors, which are formed in the endocrine portion of the pancreas, which produce hormones such as insulin, and cystic types. Unfortunately, exocrine tumors are the most frequent and represent the most aggressive forms while tumors that arise from endocrine cells (as in the case of Fedez) are usually tumors that they affect younger people but which have a more benign course. The prospect is that pancreatic cancer will become the second cause of death from cancer by 2030 and this is due not only to the increase in cases but also to the fact that on other cancers today we obtain very good results for which mortality drops while unfortunately for the pancreas still remains very high.
What are the risk factors?
The risk factors are those that are there for all cancers, they are related to lifestyle incorrect and therefore to overweight, little physical activity, smoking, etc. For neuroendocrine pancreatic cancers we do not have enough data to tell us if they are related to these lifestyle habits, and they probably are more related to genetic factors.
What are the symptoms?
Pancreatic cancer is initially asymptomatic or provokes very vague symptomswhich can be confused with a banal gastritis or with back pains that draw attention to the spine; then there may be weakness, lack of appetite And weight loss but unfortunately they are rather atypical signs. When the tumor affects the head of the pancreas it may begin withjaundice, the yellow color of the skin, when the bile no longer reaches the intestine, the stools no longer color, they appear light, and at the same time the urine becomes dark because trying to purify the liver. However, this usually happens when the tumor is already quite advanced.
How is the diagnosis reached?
Usually all patients have an overlapping path: first aultrasound where you recognize if there is a problem, then the CT scan and the magnetic resonance they are the exams they study to verify the real presence of the problem and to go and study its progress; later you can do some biopsy transcutaneous or of the endoscopy details to arrive at a precise diagnosis that is obtained from the cells that are recognized under the microscopic view by the pathologist. At this point the treatment is decided.
What is the prognosis? Can it be healed?
It can be cured, the average survival when I was a young surgeon was 9 months while today it is over 36 months. Clearly we are distant from the results we obtain in other neoplasms so we still have a long way to go, even if the results improve. In neuroendocrine tumor of the pancreas it is very different: survival is high, especially when radical surgery is reached in time, healing is almost guaranteed. In neuroendocrine tumors, surgery may be sufficient e chemotherapy is not always needed. You can check them with forms of radiotherapy particular, with hormonesthere are various weapons to use and that is why it is important that those who treat these patients do so in a multidisciplinary context.
There is always talk of prevention and early diagnosis, but for the pancreas it is not easy
Unfortunately for the pancreas screening does not existwe do not yet have an exam that is so specific and sensitive that allows us to do a mass screening what sense to implement but if there is a familiarity, in which there are genetically proven risk factors, it is possible to undergo periodic checks on the functionality of the pancreas, liver and intestines, especially after the age of 50. Diagnosing the tumor in early stage it also means having a better chance of survival but, unfortunately, in most cases the disease is discovered already in an advanced stage. To prevent it is still good to act on modifiable risk factors, therefore avoid smoking and excessive consumption of alcoholkeep an eye on the weight and the diabetesfollow one diet rich in fruits and vegetables.
Benedetta de Mattei