If you’re a cycling fan of a certain age, you may remember Laurent Fignon as the guy who lost the Tour de France by the slimmest of margins. A mere eight seconds, attributable to the aerodynamic advantage that Greg LeMond gained by using the now ubiquitous aerobars favored by triathletes and time trialists. LeMond, who was a pioneer in the use of aerobars, came from 50 seconds down on Fignon in the final stage of the 1989 Tour and wound up winning the overall title on the Tour’s final time trial on the final day. What you may or may not know is that Fignon won the Tour twice during his career, in 1983 and 1984.
On Thursday, various news reports passed along the story that Fignon was recently diagnosed with what’s been described as “cancer of the digestive tract” or something similar. It sounds like Fignon either has pancreatic cancer that has spread, or another form of cancer that spread to the pancreas.
“My cancer is an advanced cancer because it has metastasized,” the 48-year-old Fignon said in an interview to be broadcast on French television on Sunday. “We know for certain it’s in the pancreas and we don’t know the rest. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I am optimistic. I am going to fight and I am sure I can win the battle.”
If Fignon is suffering from pancreatic cancer then he is very ill, fighting a form of cancer that has a very low survival rate, especially if it’s already metastasized. At best, his odds of being around five years from now are in the realm of 1 out of 4 chances. Depending on just how advanced his cancer is, the odds could be as low as 1 out 0f 20 chances. Still, some do survive. It’s not a 100% given that Fignon’s illness is a death sentence, even if the odds are against him.
The timing of Fignon’s announcement coincides with the upcoming release of his new book We were Young and Carefree, in which he describes his life as a professional cyclist, including the use of amphetamines and cortisone. According to The Guardian Online:
“Two months ago, I was diagnosed with cancer of the digestive tract,” Fignon said. “I started chemotherapy two weeks ago. It’s going well.” He said it was at an advanced stage and he would undergo more tests after this year’s Tour.
Given that his book details the use of various performance-enhancing substances, it’s almost natural that some will speculate about the PEDs being the cause. As Laurent Jalabert, another French cycling great, told the Guardian, “It’s too easy today to imagine that it is because it’s a cyclist that it’s necessarily because he doped that he is sick.”
The cancer is unlikely to have been caused by the performance enhancing drugs he took during his career, according to his doctors. Fignon has written a book, We were Young and Carefree, in which he describes his use of amphetamines and cortisone. “I don’t know whether or not that played a role,” Fignon said. “I don’t know at all. It’s impossible to say, yes or no. According to the doctors, apparently not.” The 48-year-old said all cyclists of his generation used similar drugs, an accusation that drew criticism from other former riders.
Having some experience with pancreatic cancer (my father died after a valiant three-year battle against the disease), and having spent all too many hours researching it, I can tell you that no one knows with 100% certainty what causes the disease. It’s more common in some groups than others (my family happens to belong to one of those groups, unfortunately). And the same gene that’s implicated in breast cancer may also be implicated in pancreatic cancer, too. But nowhere in the research I did was there any mention of a connection between the use of amphetamines or cortisone as a possible cause. The consumption of sushi, however, may be linked to higher rates of pancreatic cancer, as I recall.
Fignon has a pretty good attitude and appears to have accepted what fate may have in store for him.
“You either fight or you die,” the 1983 and 1984 Tour champion told the Journal du Dimanche newspaper.
“I have no desire to die, but I’m not afraid. I’m not particularly brave nor fearful,” said the 48-year-old who tested positive for illegal substances twice in the late 1980s.
[…]
… Fignon added: “If it all came to end quickly, I wouldn’t have many regrets. I have had a beautiful life.”
Pancreatic cancer is a vicious, terrible disease. Laurent Fignon is in a battle that will test his endurance in ways that no bike race ever did, and it will likely go on much longer than any race he ever competed in. It will sap his strength and there will be times when it will test his dedication to the fight. But in the end, I hope that Laurent Fignon is one of the lucky ones who has the good fortune to beat the disease.
This is too bad and I hope the best for Fignon. I am also reminded that Anquetil died of stomach cancer. Coincidence?
Probably a coincidence would be my guess. Anquetil did amphetamines and perhaps some other forms of stimulants from what I recall. I rather doubt that they would have caused his cancer.
I wish Fignon well. It’d be nice if he doesn’t come up a bit short in this race. Life doesn’t always work that way though.
And while I know next to nothing on the causes of his cancer and the odds of amphetamines being part of the cause, it did make me think of an old article I just read on risks and realities. It makes me wonder, even if some PEDs etc can cause cancer, how much of an increase in the odds of getting cancer it really is.
The article points out things like; Peanut butter has fungal poisons called aflatoxins in it which cause cancer in rats, and presumably us. Plants evolved cancer-causing agents to defend themselves from insects, some of which are our spices. So obviously, some risks we’re ok with. (Of course, as many of us know, everything causes cancer.)
Also, considering the 75 million in Ukraine and Byelorussia from Chernobyl, there is an expected number of about 3,500 extra deaths from cancers. Which turns out to be only a .0047% increase in the expected 15 million cancers they should have.
Just in case I need to, I want to point out I’m not trying to make light of any death from cancer, nor am I suggesting it’s ok for cyclists to take illegal drugs. I just thought it interesting after having just read that article and wondered how much your odds of getting cancer might really be increased by some of these drugs. And how some other things might be just as risky yet we accept them.
just in case anyone wonders, it was A Scientist’s Notebook: Risks and Realities by Gregory Benford in the September 2000 Fantasy & Science Fiction.
I’m simply wishing Laurent Fignon the best possible outcome, whatever that may be for him.