Toronto Mayor Rob Ford to undergo first round of chemo in coming days
Posted September 18, 2014 9:18 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO (NEWS1130) – Toronto Mayor Rob Ford will spend the next few days undergoing his first round of chemotherapy to treat a rare and aggressive type of cancer, while his brother is gearing up to launch his campaign for the city’s top job.
Yesterday, Ford was diagnosed with malignant liposarcoma — a type of cancer that arises from fat cells and can attack a variety of soft tissues.
Doctors at Mount Sinai Hospital said the abdominal tumour, which is 12 centimetres by 12 centimetres in size, is an aggressive tumour that is being met with an equally aggressive treatment.
Dr. Zane Cohen, who is leading the 45-year-old mayor’s care team, said they also found a small nodule in Ford’s buttock which is part of the same tumour.
Liposarcoma is particularly “sensitive” to chemotherapy, but Ford may undergo surgery or radiation treatments depending on how the cancer responds to chemotherapy, Dr. Cohen said.
He refused to estimate a survival rate for this type of cancer, which makes up about one per cent of cancers, but said he was optimistic about the treatment plan.
