What is Germ Cell cancer? Symptoms and more explored as Tim Roth's son Cormac Roth dies aged 25

Tim Roth’s son Cormac Roth passed away on October 16, 2022, at the age of 25. Cormac’s family revealed that he lost his life following a long battle with cancer. They stated:

“He died peacefully in the arms of his family who loved and adored him. He fought with incredible bravery for the past year, and maintained his wicked wit and humour to the very end.”

Cormac Roth was diagnosed with stage 3 Germ Cell cancer in November last year.

As per Mayo Clinic, Germ Cell cancer is caused by tumors formed "from reproductive cells." They may or may not be cancerous, depending on the kind of tumor. Most tumors appear in the ovaries or testicles but can occur in other body parts and can affect people of any age group.

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What was Cormac Roth diagnosed with? A quick explainer on Germ Cell cancer

While germ cell tumors can be cancerous or non-cancerous, the former has more chance of spreading to other parts of the body, thereby damaging organs and making treatment difficult.

The cancer is rare in children and is more common in adolescents and young adults, specifically between the age group of 15 to 19.

The symptoms of the disease are entirely dependent on the tumor size and location of the body. Symptoms of ovarian germ cell tumors include pelvic discomfort or pain, painful mass in the ovary, swollen belly, abdominal pain, irregular vaginal bleeding, and nausea.

Coming to testicular germ cell tumors, the symptoms include a firm lump in a testicle that grows bigger, pain or heaviness in the scrotum, abdominal pain or groin pain, oddly shaped testicles, and back pain.

Symptoms of extragonadal germ cell tumors include trouble breathing, weakness in the legs, trouble while urinating or defecating, swelling, and acute pain in the belly.

Germ cell tumors can be diagnosed with CT scans, MRIs, ultrasounds, PET scans, bone scans, blood tests, and biopsy. It can be treated with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy.

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Who was Cormac Roth?

Cormac Roth was a famous music composer (Image via cormacroth/Instagram)

Cormac Roth was a guitarist and composer who released his debut album, Python, in 2018. He assisted with the music in Michel Franco’s 2020 film, New Order, and continued to release music on Soundcloud.

Cormac described himself as a composer and producer on Instagram and had around 4,242 followers on the social networking platform.

Opening up about his diagnosis in an Instagram post, Roth wrote about how he was having to undergo high dose chemo, medication, transfusions, surgeries, and more in order to fight the cancer. He continued:

“It is called Choriocarcinoma, it is rare, and it has managed to stay many steps ahead of me no matter what I throw at it.”

Cormac Roth revealed that he lost half of his hearing and 60 pounds of weight because of the cancer.

In the statement released after his death, Cormac's family members called him a "wild, electric ball of energy whose spirit was full of light and goodness." The statement also said:

“The grief comes in waves, as do the tears and laughter, when we think of that beautiful boy across the 25 years and 10 months that we knew him. An irrepressible and joyful and wild and wonderful child. Only recently a man. We love him. We will carry him, with us wherever we go.”

Cormac Roth’s survivors include his parents Tim Roth and Nikki Butler and his brother Hunter Roth.