2023-09-25 07:12:06
by Vera Martinella
In a case like the one involving Matteo Messina Denaro, who died on September 25, survival on average can reach 24-36 months
With over 43,700 new cases registered every year, colon cancer – the cancer of which Cosa Nostra boss Matteo Messina Denaro died – is the second most frequent type of cancer in our country and also the second most lethal: five-year survival years from diagnosis today it is around 65%.
The use of a scalpel is usually the first step and may be sufficient to aspire to definitive healing, if the neoplasm is detected in an early stage.
According to what was disclosed, however, Matteo Messina Denaro had already undergone surgery two years ago and, after the appearance of metastases in his liver, he had undergone another operation. He was treated with chemotherapy for months.
In the case of liver metastases, chemotherapy is a standard treatment to prolong survival and counteract the symptoms of the disease – explains Carmine Pinto, director of Medical Oncology at the Ausl-Irccs of Reggio Emilia -. It is usually prescribed for several months and, based on the specific subtype of tumor present in each patient (if a certain genetic mutation is present), so-called molecularly targeted drugs may or may not be added to prolong the time available to patients.
When liver metastases appear in a person who has undergone colorectal cancer surgery, the first step is to evaluate whether they are operable: in approximately 30% of patients in whom the metastases are surgically removed and the neoplasm does not recur, in fact, the survival can even exceed 10 years of life. However, when the operation is not feasible or there is then a recurrence of the tumor, we have different lines of therapy available (chemo, possibly associated with target therapy or molecularly targeted drugs) – continues Pinto, who is also president of the Federation of Italian Cooperative Oncology Groups (FICOG) —. More or less 90% of patients manage to complete a first line, 60-70% also the second, 40-50% reach the third line: different drugs that slow down the progression of the tumor and buy time, in good quality of life for the sick.
Can it be cured? To date, the survival of a patient with metastatic colorectal cancer can reach 24-36 months. If the patient can tolerate the therapies and their toxicity, if they work. It all depends on many variables: the patient’s general health condition, the quantity of metastases, their location. We need to understand how many lines of therapy the individual manages to overcome, how much the tumor has spread, how aggressive it is, whether and how effective the treatments are.
September 25, 2023 (modified September 25, 2023 | 07:11)
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