The “relentless struggle” that took for several months was not enough. Belgian actress Emilie Dequenne died this Sunday, March 16 at the age of 43 years of rare cancer. In October 2023, he revealed to have a corticosurrenaloma, cancer of the adrenal glands, diagnosed two months ago, and that kept it away from the sets of the film.
After a remission of the disease, which had been revealed in Rosetta Dardenne Brothers announced a recurrence last December. “There is a part of my cancer that responds, another that does not respond, even progresses. The progress that progresses is greater than the one that is reduced,” Then he trusted TF1.
“Basically, I know very well that I will not live as long as expected. (…) I am only 43 years old. I always dreamed of living up to at least 80 years and falling asleep permanently while I slept. That is what I ask,” he added.
One or two people affected by millions
A corticosurrenaloma is a type of cancer that affects the adrenal glands. These glands are just above the kidneys. They measure two to four centimeters in length and include two parts: an external part, called cortex or corticosurrenal, and an internal part, medullary or medullaws.
These glands are part of the endocrine system and are responsible for the secretion of many hormones. The outside part is secreted in the blood of hormones such as cortisol, especially known for helping the body control stress, aldosterone, which helps the kidneys regulate the amount of salt in the body and part of sex hormones, androgen and estrogen.
The internal part of the adrenaline and norepinephrine secret glands, both responsible for the reaction of the body to stress.
The cancer of the adrenal glands occurs when a malignant tumor is developed in the cells of one of the adrenal glands. There are two main types: the pheochromocytoma, which arises inside the adrenal gland, and the corticosurrenaloma, which develops in the cortex of the gland.
It is this second type from which Emilie Dequenne was achieved and that is the most common of the cancers of the adrenal gland, very rare. Only one or two per million inhabitants develop this disease in France every year, from 65 to 130 people per year, according to The Roussy Gustave Cancer Treatment Center Located in Val-de-Marne.
Tumors more often observed in women
“It occurs more frequently in adults between 40 and 50 years, but also in children under 15 years. This tumor is more frequently observed in women than in humans, without knowing reason,” said the treatment center in a brochure distributed to interested patients. The causes of this disease are unknown at this stage, but it is “in exceptional cases” associated with certain genetic diseases.
The symptoms of this cancer are linked in most cases with the production of excessive hormones, but can also result in the insufficient production of hormones. They vary in patient fans, their disease and hormone affected.
They can take the form of high blood pressure, inexplicable weight gain, muscle weakness, virilization in women, mood or hypoglycemia disorders, lists the les dentellières cancer center of Valenciennes (north).
“These clinical signs are not specific to the cancer of the adrenal gland and can completely find their origin in another health disorder,” specifies the establishment, which advises to consult whether these symptoms persist or get worse.
The Roussy Gustave center also explains that beyond these symptoms related to hormonal disorders, there are other signs that allow to detect this cancer, such as the perception of a mass in the abdomen, or pain in this area, nausea or vomiting.
“Every step is a difficult experience”
Diagnosed in mid -2023, Émilie Dequenne underwent an operation before following several treatments and chemotherapy. In cases where the tumor has no metastasis, that is, a propagation of cancer in other parts of the body, surgery is “the first reference treatment that is proposed,” according to the center of the lacera.
But other treatments can also be proposed, depending on the evolution of patient’s disease and the patient’s health. Chemotherapy mainly refers to “aggressive or inoperable” cancers, specifies the establishment.
The life expectancy of patients affected by this disease depends on several parameters, including the characteristics of the tumor, the stage of disease progress, their aggressiveness and the effectiveness of treatments.
If the tumor is completely eliminated by the surgical operation, “the five -year survival possibilities are very favorable,” writes the northern establishment. In the case of metastasis, “the prognosis is generally darker.” The Canadian Cancer Society estimates that the 5 -year survival possibilities vary between 38 and 73% depending on the degree and stage of cancer.
In any case, “Corticosurrenaloma deeply changes the life of the person who has it,” warns the center of Roussy Gustave. “Every step of the disease is a difficult experience.”
Source: BFM TV
