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rfmcdonaldFrom Canada.com:
Liposarcoma is apparently a treatable cancer with a high survival rate, but the medical experts consulted on CBC were surprised that Cohen didn't engage in surgery first. This, to them, suggested that the cancer had spread substantially.
Doctors have determined the tumour in Toronto mayor Rob Ford’s abdomen is cancerous and the mayor will now undergo chemotherapy.
The official diagnosis is liposarcoma, a maligant tumour that arises in soft tissue, said Mount Sinai’s Dr. Zane Cohen. The “very difficult tumour” is large in size at 12 centimetres long and wide. Another smaller tumour — about two centimetres— was found in the mayor’s buttocks, behind his left hip.
Dr. Cohen said it’s also a rare case, comprising only one per cent of all cancers.
“We think it’s a fairly aggressive tumor. These types of tumors are often slow growing. To get to the size that it is now is often several years,” said Dr. Cohen. He could not specify what stage the cancer is in.
Dr. Cohen said after speaking with 45-year-old Ford and his family, the decision has been made to go ahead with chemotherapy, starting with three days of in-patient treatment followed by 18 days of “washout” before repeating. He could not rule out the future possibility of radiation treatment or surgery. The initial round of chemotherapy will begin within the next 48 hours and doctors plan to reassess in 40 days time.
Liposarcoma is apparently a treatable cancer with a high survival rate, but the medical experts consulted on CBC were surprised that Cohen didn't engage in surgery first. This, to them, suggested that the cancer had spread substantially.
