MAHONY WILL HAVE CANCER SURGERY; ARCHBISHOP UPBEAT DESPITE DIAGNOSIS.Byline: Melissa Schmitt Daily News Staff Writer With great coolness and candor, Archbishop Roger Mahony stood before Los Angeles on Thursday and made public a secret he has kept, even from the Vatican, since February: He is battling prostate cancer prostate cancer, cancer originating in the prostate gland. Prostate cancer is the leading malignancy in men in the United States and is second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer death in men. . Mahony, 62, stood before cameras at the USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, his doctors at his side, to say he is optimistic surgery will rid his body of the cancer and allow him to return to his duties as archbishop of the nation's largest Roman Catholic archdiocese. ``This year I will complete half of my anticipated term of service as the Archbishop of Los Angeles,'' Mahony said. ``With 13 years now consigned to the history books, I now look forward eagerly to the 13 years that remain before I am required to submit my resignation to the Pope.'' Mahony and two of his doctors said the archbishop can thank an early diagnosis for a good chance of attaining the average healthy man's life expectancy Life Expectancy 1. The age until which a person is expected to live. 2. The remaining number of years an individual is expected to live, based on IRS issued life expectancy tables. . ``I thank God for that early warning,'' Mahony said. He will undergo surgery at 7:30 a.m. June 15, at USC-Norris. Donald Skinner, chairman of the USC Department of Urology urology Medical specialty dealing with the urinary system and male reproductive organs. It traces its origin to medieval lithologists, itinerant healers who specialized in surgical removal of bladder stones. , will perform the surgery. Mahony said he opted for the surgery, known as a radical retropubic prostatectomy Radical retropubic prostatectomy is a surgical procedure in which the prostate gland is removed through an incision in the abdomen. It is most often used to treat individuals who have early prostate cancer. , as opposed to the radiation therapy many other prostate cancer patients choose, because it seemed to be the most logical choice for a man of his age and position with the church. ``In most cases involving people my age who went with radiation, they ended up also having at some point to get the prostate taken out. I figure why do that,'' Mahony said. ``Of course I'm not married so I don't have to worry about a sexual life, a spouse, Viagra and all those things'' he added, eliciting laughter from the assembled crowd. Mahony said that although he had known of his sickness for four months, he had told only the two men he shares living quarters with at the church of his diagnosis. ``(They are) my two closest confidantes,'' Mahony said. He did not tell the Vatican or his family, he said, until Thursday morning. Mahony said he had a biopsy in February after a routine exam. The archbishop also had an elevated level of serum prostate-specific-antigen, SPA, the protein produced by the prostate, indicating a presence of cancer, Skinner said. It was on the drive back from his doctor's office in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. to Los Angeles that the reality of the situation and the good fortune of the early detection really sunk in, Mahony said. ``I had some time during the drive downtown to reflect upon it,'' Mahony said. ``Early detection was so encouraging that I was really thanking God all the way downtown.'' Like everyone diagnosed with a disease that can be fatal, Mahony said his diagnosis changed the way he looks at life. ``I have a greater appreciation for each day,'' he said quietly. ``We are very, very mortal. I realize my future years are limited. For the first time I've had to think about the other end of my life.'' In addition to making all Catholics aware of his health, Mahony said he had chosen to make this public statement in the hope that it might encourage other men to make annual exams a high priority. ``I had no symptoms,'' Mahony said. ``I feel fantastic. I have never felt better in my life. ``Usually there are no serious symptoms until it is very serious,'' Mahony said. Mahony's doctors told him that this year, 340,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and of those, 40,000 will die. ``Now that I, too, have prostate cancer, you have a place in prayers that Christ The Healer will be strong in all your lives,'' Mahony said to those men. According to Skinner, Mahony should be ready to leave the hospital in three days after his surgery and ready for a return to normal activity after six weeks. PROSTATE CANCER Prostate cancer is the second-leading killer of men in America, after lung cancer lung cancer, cancer that originates in the tissues of the lungs. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States in both men and women. Like other cancers, lung cancer occurs after repeated insults to the genetic material of the cell. . Some facts about its diagnosis and treatment: DIAGNOSIS Doctors use a blood test and a digital examination to find prostate cancer. About 25 percent of men diagnosed develop a fatal cancer. Symptoms that can indicate prostate cancer - or a benign condition - include frequent urination urination Process of excreting urine from the bladder (see urinary system). Nerve centres in the spinal cord, brain stem, and cerebral cortex control it through involuntary and voluntary muscles. The need to void is felt when the bladder holds 3. , especially at night; inability to urinate urinate /uri·nate/ (u´ri-nat) to discharge urine. u·ri·nate v. To excrete urine. urinate to void urine. ; painful urination and ejaculation ejaculation /ejac·u·la·tion/ (e-jak?u-la´shun) forcible, sudden expulsion; especially expulsion of semen from the male urethra. ; blood in urine blood in urine Vox populi Hematuria or semen; frequent pain or stiffness in the lower back, hips, thighs. TREATMENT Two major options: surgery to remove the golf ball-sized gland or radiation therapy. Surgery is the most effective method, but the delicate procedure can leave men impotent and incontinent in·con·ti·nent adj. 1. Lacking normal voluntary control of excretory functions. 2. Lacking sexual restraint; unchaste. . WHO GETS IT Usually men in their 40s and 50s, though some younger men contract it. 10 percent of men inherit a predisposition to it. Blacks are more likely than whites to contract it; Asians and Latinos are less likely than whites to contract it. As the disease becomes better known and studied, celebrities have stepped forward to talk about their experiences, including performer Harry Belafonte and boxer George Foreman. Sources: American Cancer Society American Cancer Society, n.pr established in 1913, this national volunteer-based health organization is committed to the elimination of cancer through prevention and treatment and to diminishing cancer suffering through advocacy, scholarship, research, , New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times CAPTION(S): box, photo PHOTO (color) Archbishop Roger Mahony announces he has been diagnosed with cancer of the prostate. Gus Ruelas/Daily News Box: Facts about prostate cancer (see text) |
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