Inguinal cancer: understand the disease that killed Anderson Leonardo, singer of Molejo | Health

The 51-year-old artist was admitted in serious condition to a hospital in Rio de Janeiro and died this Friday (26). He was diagnosed with the disease in 2022 and, since then, has been hospitalized several times.

Inguinal cancer affects the groin region and can be caused by a metastasis (when the disease spreads to other parts) of other cancers, such as prostate cancer, bladder cancer, penile cancer, testicular cancer, colorectal cancer, uterus, vaginal cancer or melanoma.

Oncologist Denis Jardim, member of the SBOC Genitourinary Tumors Committee, explains that, in fact, the inguinal region is an anatomical definition and occupies the part popularly known as the groin, where there are some important structures, such as skin, tendons and lymph nodes. (where most tumors in this region often occur).

The inguinal region is not usually the site of cancer, there is no such thing as ‘inguinal cancer’. This region, which is our groin, is rich in lymph nodes, lymph nodes, popularly called tongues. There is a large concentration of the body’s defense cells, white blood cells.

— Stênio Zequi, Leader of the Reference Center for Urological Tumors at ACCamargo Cancer Center

Zequi points out that “cancer almost never originates in the inguinal region”. “It is a neoplasm that can occur in the lower limbs, skin, legs, feet, for example, and also in the genital region, both male and female, such as tumors of the vulva (in women) and tumors of the penis and urethra (in men). man)”, he says.

The main symptoms are an increase and the perception of a nodule in the region and also local pain, according to oncologist Denis Jardim. In some cases, the nodule can be painful and even cause bleeding and secondary infections.

In summary, the most common symptoms are:

• Lump in the inguinal region;
• Local pain;
• Bleeding from the nodule and secondary infections;
• General symptoms such as fever, loss of appetite and unwarranted weight loss.

The diagnosis of inguinal cancer is normally made through biopsy, when a sample of the lesion is collected using a thick needle or through a surgical incision. The material is sent to the laboratory to identify precisely the type of cancer that caused that nodule.

O treatment varies according to the type of cancer diagnosed, which may include surgery, accompanied or not by radiotherapy, and, in some cases, chemotherapy.

It will depend on the primary cause. If it is melanoma of the legs or feet, it is surgery associated with immunotherapy. If it is a genital tumor, the treatment is different. It all depends, there are tumors with enormous curability. Some lymphomas heal very well, others don’t.

— Stênio Zequi, oncologist

He also adds that treatment also depends on whether the tumor is advanced, the sensitivity of the tumor to treatment and the possibility of removing the tumor or not.

“If the tumor was small, of low grade, the chance of cure is greater. If the initial tumor is more aggressive, cure rates reduce. The prognosis and chance of cure will depend on several variables”, he states.