Subrata Roy, head of the Sahara India Pariwar, died at the age of 75 due to a cardiorespiratory arrest at Kokilaben Hospital in Mumbai on Tuesday. While the hospital declined to comment on the condition of Roy—who had been suffering from metastatic malignancy, hypertension and diabetes—at the time of his demise, oncologist Dr Sunil Chapode from Jaslok Hospital explained to mid-day what exactly is metastatic malignancy.

“It is when cancer spreads from the original place of growth to other organs,” he said, adding that comorbidities like diabetes and hypertension hamper the course of treatment for most cancer patients. “While comorbidities do not affect the outcome in cancer patients, they certainly impact the treatment part. Such patients have a higher rate of infection because of their sugar levels. They are also at a higher risk of side effects during the course of treatment,” he said.