Influencer Lorna Luxe’s husband, John Andrews, has died aged 64 following a long battle with a rare but aggressive cancer which spread to his brain.
The former banker was diagnosed with adrenal cancer in April 2023. Adrenal cancer is cancer of the adrenal gland, which sits beside the kidneys and is responsible for producing hormones including cortisol, oestrogen and testosterone.
Despite going into remission in November 2023, and surviving sepsis, last month the couple were told his cancer – which affects just one in a million people – had spread to his brain and was terminal.
Unlike many other cancers, doctors are not sure what exactly puts someone at an increased risk of developing adrenal cancer – partly because it’s so rare.
The disease is thought to develop when the DNA of cells in the gland experience an unhealthy change and begin to replicate.
Like with other cancers, malignant cells from the adrenal glands can break off and be carried by the circulatory system to another part of the body.
Stage four cancer means the disease had already spread to other organs and has reached its most advanced stage.
As such, treatment typically focuses on easing symptoms, removing the bulk of the tumour from the glands and using chemotherapy to kill cancer cells.
John, who was 21 years Lorna’s senior, was diagnosed with stage four adrenal cancer in April 2023
His wife, Lorna Luxe, announced his death on Instagram yesterday
Adrenal cancer can cause symptoms in two different ways, depending on whether the cancer makes hormones, known as a functioning tumour.
This type of cancer is more likely to produce symptoms, which vary based on the type of hormone the tumour produces.
For example, having too much cortisol can lead to a group of symptoms known as Cushing’s syndrome.
Symptoms often come on gradually and include weight gain that is more noticeable in the trunk of the body, bruising easily, muscle weakness, low sex drive, changes in mood, excessive hair growth and developing diabetes.
If the cancer is non-functioning, meaning it doesn’t produce hormones, it may not cause symptoms until the disease is more advanced.
Possible symptoms include pain in the abdomen, extreme tiredness, unexplained weight loss, nausea and vomiting.
In John’s case, his cancer returned after he went into remission, this time affecting his brain.
These types of tumours, known as secondary tumours, are more likely to grow back after treatment.
Announcing his passing on Thursday, the influencer wrote on Instagram: ‘My beautiful, brave John died yesterday. I am heartbroken’
Before Christmas, John was rushed back to hospital with organ failure, following a complication with his treatment
Symptoms can vary depending on the exact part of the brain affected but commonly include headache, nausea, drowsiness, progressive weakness or paralysis on one side of the body and mental or behavioural changes.
The causes of most brain tumours are unknown, but radiotherapy can increase the risk.
Before Christmas, John was rushed to hospital with organ failure following a complication with his chemotherapy which caused him to develop sepsis, a life-threatening response to infection.
Lorna, 43, revealed last month that treatment was ‘no longer an option’.
According to Cancer Research UK just 220 people on average are diagnosed with adrenal gland cancer, which includes adrenocortical carcinoma, every year.
The figure stands at around 800 in the US.
The glands are responsible for helping regulate a person’s heart rate and other functions related to the cardiovascular system.
They also help activate a person’s ‘fight-or-flight’ response during high-stress situations.
Studies suggest just 15 per cent of patients whose cancer has spread survive beyond five years.
Announcing his passing on Thursday, Lorna wrote on Instagram: ‘My beautiful, brave John died yesterday. I am heartbroken.
‘We were together to the very end, at home, in our own bed and holding hands which is exactly what he wanted.
‘The last conversation we had I asked him how he was feeling and he replied “rough but in love” and that was so him, to the point and choosing to put aside his fears to make me feel cherished and loved.
‘John and I were so grateful to the district nurses who came daily to support us and make him comfortable.
‘Anna was his favourite nurse and the kindness she showed him was beyond, she was a real-life angel.
‘We couldn’t have had those last few days together at home without that care and my mum who has been with us keeping me strong when I needed to stay strong for John.
‘John you are a class act and I will love you forever.’
