What is inguinal cancer, the disease that caused the death of Anderson do Molejo? | Health

The singer Anderson Leonardo, lead singer of the group Molejo, died at the age of 51 in Rio de Janeiro this Friday (26). He had been diagnosed with a cancer in the inguinal region since 2022, which has been developing in the penis and anus, and had been hospitalized since March 24th.

The type of samba tumor is associated with prolonged inflammation, and may also be linked to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. It is more common in men over 50 years of age, but can affect young people.

Second Maria Alzira Rochaoncologist at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein and member of the Scientific Committee of the Instituto Vencer o Câncer, inguinal cancer affects the groin region and does not have a single diagnosis.

“[O câncer inguinal] It can be various types of cancer that occur in the groin region, which is the inguinal region. The most common, precisely because there are a lot of lymph nodes in this region, are lymphoma-type cancer, which is a hematological cancer, which affects the lymph nodes of our body, and then we can start to have complaints in the inguinal region from these lymph nodes, these nodes, which are the bumps, which get bigger, and eventually even painful”, he states.

“Or cancer can occur in the pelvic and perianal region, which migrates to these lymph nodes, which is lymph node disease. [dos linfonodos]. For example, there is penile cancer, anal cancer, and rectal cancer. There are other types of cancer that can occur and that can migrate to this groin area”, he adds.

Risk factors

According to the doctor, risk factors vary according to the type of cancer in question. “Thinking about the most common cancers, which are those of the penis and anal canal, the main risk factor is infection with the HPV virus, which is a very common virus in the population, and is related to sexually transmitted infections”, she explains. .

“HPV is an extremely common virus in the population, but, due to individual factors, some patients develop cancer from infection with it and others do not,” he says. “When it comes to rectal cancer, which is the most distal portion of the intestine, and large intestine cancer, colon cancer, it can have a metastasis that, more rarely, would migrate to the groin region. In this case, the The main risk factors are related to obesity and the consumption of ultra-processed foods, rich in nitrates and refined sugar”, he explains.

Diagnosis

As they are not so common diseases, penile cancer, anal cancer and lymphoma do not have preventive screening. “But thinking about cancer of the intestine, rectum, in short, of the large intestine, as this lymph node disease can more rarely occur (which left the place where it started and migrated to the groin lymph nodes), the screening diagnosis is made through colonoscopy”, says the doctor.

“In other cases, which are actually less common in the population, we begin the diagnostic evaluation by palpating the lymph node in the groin and imaging tests. Generally, we order an ultrasound, pelvic resonance and, depending on the findings, the We do a biopsy and look at this lymph node precisely to confirm the diagnosis, whether of cancer or other diseases”, he explains.

Treatment

The oncologist explains that treatment varies depending on the type of cancer in question. “If it is lymphoma, we normally do not consider treatment with surgery. We generally treat it with chemotherapy and, in some cases, we can consolidate it with radiotherapy”, she says.

“As for other cancers, whether of the penis or anal canal or intestine, it will depend on the stage of the disease at the time of diagnosis. The more initial a disease is, we tend to carry out curative treatment with surgery, and, depending on the case, we can indicate accessory treatments with chemotherapy and radiotherapy”, he adds.

If the disease is already at a more advanced stage — either at the time of diagnosis or if it was initially treated, but then returned –, the tendency is to offer the patient treatment with medications that circulate through the bloodstream.

“It’s systemic treatment. In this way, we prioritize chemotherapy treatments. It may also be indicated for immunotherapy or, in rarer cases, target therapy as well”, he explains.

Prevention

According to the doctor, HPV infection is a major risk factor for anal and penile cancer. “The disease can be prevented through vaccination, the use of condoms during sexual intercourse, and avoiding, as far as possible, multiple sexual partners,” she says.

“Thinking about other types of cancer, especially rectal cancer, prevention is to avoid risk factors, which are obesity, and the consumption of ultra-processed foods, with nitrates and sugar, and to have a colonoscopy, which is a preventive exam that can prevent the disease from turning into cancer”, he adds.