Football great Pelé receives ‘elevated care’ for ‘kidney and cardiac dysfunctions’ related to cancer; doc explains the link

"If the patient is on chemotherapy, their immunity may fall. So, the chances of getting infected rise," said a doctor

Pelé, Pelé health, Pelé health update, Pelé in hospital, Pelé cancer, Pelé cancer treatment, Pelé cancer advanced, Pelé cancer progress, Pelé elevated care, cancer affecting organs, indian express news

Football legend Pele (Express photo by Oinam Anand)

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Brazilian football legend Edson Arantes do Nascimento, famously called Pelé, has been battling cancer for a while and recently, his health condition worsened during hospital stay to regulate his cancer medication, doctors announced earlier this week.

According to news reports, Sao Paulo’s Albert Einstein hospital said in a statement Wednesday that the 82-year-old’s cancer has progressed and that he is under “elevated care” related to “kidney and cardiac dysfunctions”. The football great, therefore, will be spending Christmas at the hospital this time, with his loved ones around him.

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Kely Nascimento, one of Pelé’s daughters, wrote on Instagram, “Insta family, our Christmas at home has been suspended. We decided with doctors that, for many reasons, it will be best for us to stay here, with all the care that this new family at Einstein gives us.”

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She added, “We will even make some caipirinhas (no kidding). We love you and we will give you an update next week.” Nascimento also wrote tributes coming in for her father are a “huge comfort. “We, as always, thank you for all the love you show us here in Brazil as well as around the world! Your love for him and your stories and prayers are a huge comfort because we know we are not alone,” she wrote.

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A post shared by Pelé (@pele)

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the three-time World Cup winner had been undergoing chemotherapy since September 2021, when he had his colon tumor removed.

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To understand how cancer impacts and deteriorates other organs, indianexpress.com reached out to Dr Amit Aggarwal, head of the department of medical oncology at Fortis Hospital Shalimar Bagh, Delhi, who explained that cancer can directly affect other organs. “For instance, if colon cancer spreads to the liver and the lungs, it can lead to failure of these organs. This is a direct involvement of other organs by cancer,” he said.

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A post shared by Pelé (@pele)

The doctor added that what often happens is an ‘indirect involvement’ that leads to the failure of other organs. “A cancer patient is immuno-compromised. This can cause recurring infections in their body that can weaken the liver, lungs, brain, bones, and other organs.

“If the patient is on chemotherapy, their immunity may fall. So, the chances of getting infected rise. In Pelé’s case, my assumption would be that there is a direct involvement of multiple organs by cancer, and he must have been dealing with the aftermath of a lot of chemotherapies. Cancer being immuno-suppressive on its own, it can spread to any part of the body. The treatment is also immuno-suppressive and can affect other organs,” Dr Aggarwal explained.

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