The voice of rugby on France Télévisions in search of a new “victory” against cancer. Last week, the journalist Matthieu Lartot announced that he was suffering from a relapse of knee cancer, which had already been fought for 26 years. To promote his healing, Matthieu Lartot chose amputation for “a matter of survival”, he relied on the columns of olympic noon.
In fact, since he was a teenager, Matthieu Lartot has suffered from synovialosarcoma, a malignant tumor present in the knee joints. This very rare form is usually lodged in cartilage or muscle.
“They are very rare tumors. They represent 1% of cancers in France,” Professor Fabrice Denis, an oncologist, president of the National Institute for e-health, told BFMTV.
According to the WHO International Classification of Tumors of the Soft Tissue (meat, tendon, or covering organs of the skeleton, editor’s note) by the WHO, “the circumstances of discovery sometimes report a traumatic event that caused the mass to bleed “. Matthieu Lartot had correctly indicated that the tumor had been detected after a rugby accident at the age of 16.
This mass of a few centimeters can sometimes be associated with a benign tumor, distorting the diagnosis. “Due to slow growth (2 to 4 years), moderate size (<5 cm), and sometimes well-defined, homogeneous appearance, the tumor may be mistakenly recognized as benign," the WHO continues. .
A “special development”
These types of sarcomas are difficult to apprehend because they have a “particular evolution”, continued Fabrice Denis. “They destroy the limbs or joints in which they are found, and can migrate to other organs.”
Medical intervention then differs on a case-by-case basis. “Usually, the first intervention that is performed to remove this tumor is a conservative intervention. In a certain number of cases, especially in a situation of recurrence, it may be necessary to perform an amputation to prevent the tumor from continuing to grow. evolve”, added the oncologist on our antenna.
It is this second option that the 43-year-old journalist opted for. “I start chemotherapy this Monday. After that, I will have three weeks to rebuild my immunity that the first drugs will have destroyed me, ”he explained in his interview with the specialized press. After that, it will be the surgical act. (amputation) and finally, equipment and rehabilitation”.
Matthieu Lartot then gives himself “all summer to [s]acclimatize to [s]He has new mobility and in this legislature to be able to attend the opening match of the World Cup as a supporter of the XV of France”, in September.
According to Fabrice Denis, nowadays, rehabilitation is easier due to the evolution of technologies. “There are more and more ultra-sophisticated devices that allow amputees to lead normal or near-normal lives,” he said.
Source: BFM TV
