Vialli’s surgeon: ‘Particularly aggressive tumour, he had courage’

Alessandro Zerbi, the head of the pancreatic surgery operating unit at Humanitas in Milan, discussed Gianluca Vialli’s illness and courage.

The former Sampdoria and Chelsea striker sadly passed away aged 58 on Friday following a long battle with pancreatic cancer. The illness forced him to step away from his duties with the Italian national team back in December and his passing will long be felt in the world of Italian football.

Vialli was initially announced his pancreatic cancer diagnosis in November 2018 and managed to keep the illness at bay as he helped Italy win Euro 2020. He was a close friend of coach Roberto Mancini, with whom he won the Scudetto with at Sampdoria during his playing career.

Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Zerbi reflected on Vialli’s battle with pancreatic cancer and the courage he held. The surgeon initially operated on the former striker in 2017, after his diagnosis.

“He took the news with great courage and focus. He also recounted this challenge in a book, which he sent me. The surgery had gone technically well, so much so that Vialli returned home after a few days’ thanks in part to his trained physique.

“Post-operative care was performed in London, where he lived. Unfortunately, it was a particularly aggressive neoplasm, and, like all cancers, it could recur.”

Zerbi then discussed the seriousness of this form of cancer. Only 8% of those with the illness survive for more than five years after their diagnosis.

“The tumour is biologically more aggressive than others, plus its anatomical location deep in the abdomen and the fact that it lacks a capsule means that pancreatic cancer cells can spread throughout the body early.

“Add to this the difficulty of diagnosis, which is most often late in the absence of early symptoms. Scientific research is moving forward to improve disease prognosis and diagnosis, and we are seeing tangible progress in recent years.”