Pelé receives palliative treatment in hospital as condition worsens
The 82-year-old Brazilian is no longer responsive to his chemotherapy treatment after a year-long battle with colon cancer.
The health of football icon Pelé has reportedly deteriorated since he was admitted to Sao Paulo’s Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein on Tuesday. According to Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo, the former Santos player is no longer responding to the chemotherapy treatment he has been undergoing since September 2021.
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The Brazilian star was initially placed on a course of chemotherapy due to an operation for colon cancer. He was also diagnosed earlier this year with metastases in his intestine, lung and liver.
Pelé, 82, is currently in palliative care so chemotherapy has been suspended and he is now receiving measures to try to alleviate pain and shortness of breath.
Palliative care is intended to help people with serious illnesses feel better, typically by preventing or treating the symptoms and side effects of the disease, rather than tackling the illness itself. With chemotherapy no longer proving effective in treating the illness, Pelé is now being treated to minimise discomfort.
He was initially scheduled to arrive at the hospital on Wednesday for a review of his chemotherapy for his colon tumour. However his hospitalisation was brought forward by a day when he began suffering from anasarca, an internal swelling, as well as oedemaemia syndrome and heart failure, ESPN reports.
The Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital released a note informing of Pelé's condition on Friday.
“The response has been adequate and the patient (Pelé), who remains in the common ward, is stable, with a general improvement in his health,” the statement read.
This remains the most recent official statement from the medical centre and further information is expected in the coming hours.