LFO singer Devin Lima has died of adrenal cancer, bandmate Brad Fischetti announced in an emotional video on Wednesday.
Lima died Wednesday morning at 41 years old — some 13 months after he had surgery to remove a football-size tumor caused by stage-four adrenal cancer. And in 2010, the band’s founder Rich Cronin died from leukemia at age 36.
“It is with a truly broken heart that I confirm that Harold ‘Devin’ Lima passed away early this morning after a valiant battle with cancer. Devin, as the world knows him, was an extraordinary talent, a doting father to his six children, and a loving partner to their mother. He was a beloved son and brother and a friend to so many,” Lima’s bandmate Brad Fischetti confirmed in a statement.
“On behalf of the LFO family, thank you for the tremendous outpouring of love from friends, family, fans, media, and those in the music industry.”
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The “Summer Girls” singer got his diagnosis a week after doctors removed a tumor from his adrenal gland, and seven years after bandmate Rich Cronin died of leukemia. According to Fischetti’s video, the disease had begun to invade one of Lima’s kidneys, which was also removed.
Here’s everything you need to know about adrenal cancer.
What is adrenal cancer?
Adrenal cancer happens when abnormal cells enter the adrenal glands, which are located just above the kidneys. Most tumors affect the glands’ cortex, which produces hormones that regulate stress, sex, and blood pressure. Doctors aren’t totally sure what causes many cases of adrenal cancer, but they know that the illness rarely starts there; instead, it often begins in other organs or tissues and then spreads through the bloodstream, according to the American Cancer Society. Lima’s cancer, however, did originate in the adrenal gland, Fischetti said in the video.
What are the symptoms of adrenal cancer?
Adrenal cancer can cause a wide variety of symptoms, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Some signs, such as weight gain, hair growth and menstrual irregularities, have to do with fluctuating hormone levels, while more general symptoms include bruising, muscle cramping, weakness, high blood pressure, high blood sugar and low blood potassium levels.
How is adrenal cancer treated?
Like most cancers, the course of treatment depends on the stage, according to the American Cancer Society. If it’s caught early, adrenal cancer may be treated simply by removing the affected adrenal gland and any nearby lymph nodes that appear enlarged and may be cancerous. If the disease has begun to spread, however, it may be necessary to use radiation and chemotherapy on top of surgery. Lima, who has stage 4 cancer, will need this course of treatment, Fischetti said in the video.
What’s the prognosis for adrenal cancer?
The adrenal cancer survival rate varies depending on the stage. Around 65 percent of people with cancer only in the adrenal gland will survive for at least five years, the American Cancer Society estimates. That percentage drops to 44 percent when the cancer begins to spread to nearby organs, and 7 percent when it spreads throughout the body.
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