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An emblematic figure of France Télévisions as a presenter of Stade 2, Matthieu Lartot made a sad announcement yesterday on Instagram. A recurrence of his knee cancer forced him to temporarily leave his post. What is a sarcoma? How do we treat it? The explanations of Dr Eric Plotkine, orthopedic surgeon in Paris.
“Since nowadays everything is known… as much as it is me who announces it to you. Today I am forced to leave the antenna to get back in the ring and fight cancer a second time. 26 years later, history unfortunately stutters. There was a 1-5% chance of it happening and it did“.
It is with these words, posted on his Instagram profile, that the journalist Matthieu Lartot announces the return of his illness, which he must therefore fight a second time.
Matthieu Lartot affected by a synovial sarcoma in the knee
The rugby commentator on France Télévisions was affected at the age of 16 by synovial sarcoma in the knee. This tumor was treated and he was cured for 26 years. But the disease reappeared, forcing the journalist to move away from TV sets for an indefinite period. “It will be difficult to come back before September or October in the best of cases. Even if I want to be optimistic, I know that beyond the treatments, there will be a very heavy rehabilitation. We will see” he explained to the Parisian, without making a formal cross on the fact of commenting on the Rugby World Cup in September: “If I can do it, I will”.
According to Dr. Eric Plotkine, orthopedic surgeon, a sarcoma can be joint or bone. “The first thing to do is to know the exact extent of the lesion, this is what will determine its treatment. he first explains. “If it is an isolated lesion, surgery may be sufficient, but sometimes radiation or additional chemotherapy will be necessary“.
Is it a pathology that affects children more?
Yes, according to our specialist. “Moreover, in children, it is treated rather well. Here the whole issue is to see if the tumor can be completely removed, to see if the surrounding elements, such as arteries or nerves, are at risk or not of being damaged… An extension assessment will also be necessary, to see if the disease has not metastasized elsewhere“adds the surgeon.
Where possible, the knee joint will be retained. “Otherwise, a massive prosthesis will be placed, especially in cases where the bone is significantly affected“says Dr. Plotkine. And in the most serious cases, unfortunately, the amputation of the leg above the tumor will have to be considered.
Support via two networks, in France
In France, the organization of care for patients with sarcomas revolves around two networks:
- The “NETSARC” network, for the management of soft tissue sarcomas;
- The “RESOS” network, for the management of bone sarcomas.
Several establishments throughout France are thus recognized through these networks, in order to facilitate access to clinical protocols and innovative therapies for all patients and better coordinate their care.
Slide: Misconceptions about cancer