Actor Irrfan Khan Passes Away at 53: His Struggles With Health

Actor Irrfan Khan Passes Away at 53

The actor was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour in 2018.

Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan passed away on Wednesday,19 April after battling cancer for two years.

He was rushed to Mumbai's Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital a day before because of his deteriorating health and was reportedly accompanied by his wife Sutapa Sikdar and his son Babil.

The 53-year-old actor was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour in 2018, for which he also underwent treatment in London.

Filmmaker Shoojit Sircar took to Twitter to share the news, “My dear friend Irfaan. You fought and fought and fought. I will always be proud of you.. we shall meet again.. condolences to Sutapa and Babil.. you too fought, Sutapa you gave everything possible in this fight. Peace and Om shanti. Irfaan Khan salute.”

Upon his ICU admission, the official statement on Irrfan Khan’s health from his team had said, “Yes, it is true that Irrfan khan is admitted to ICU at Kokilaben in Mumbai because of a colon infection. We would keep everyone updated. He is under doctor’s observation. His strength and courage have helped him battle and fight so far and we are sure with his tremendous willpower and prayers of all his well wishers, he will recover soon”.

Irrfan had announced in a tweet in March that he has been diagnosed with neuro-endocrine tumour. He further said he’s going abroad for treatment and that “neuro is not always about the brain.”

What Exactly is a Neuroendocrine Tumour?

An endocrine tumour is one which occurs in cells of the body that produce hormones. Neuroendocrine gland is one of the many endocrine glands that a human body has. When the gland starts producing more than it’s supposed to, it extends into a tumour.

In an earlier article for FIT, Dr JD Mukherji, Director, Neurology at Max Hospital Saket, had said that these can be difficult to treat.

“I won’t comment on Irrfan’s case because the details aren’t known. But typically, a neuroendocrine tumour can be difficult to treat. However, the tumour can be benign and doesn’t necessarily have to be cancerous. Its treatment depends on its size and location. It’s a rare disease.”

In an earlier interview with Times of India, the actor had revealed that he was part of a trial study and the unpredictability of the treatment was high. “It’s been quite some time now since I have been diagnosed with a high-grade neuroendocrine cancer. This new name in my vocabulary, I got to know, was rare, and due to fewer study cases, and less information comparatively, the unpredictability of the treatment was more. I was part of a trial-and-error game.