Cancer

Hall of Famer Jacques Plante, 57, who introduced the goaltender's mask to modern hockey, died yesterday at Geneva Cantonal Hospital in Geneva, Switzerland, a few weeks after he learned he had inoperable stomach cancer. Mr. Plante, one of the mainstays of the Montreal Canadiens when they won a record five straight Stanley Cups, was admitted to the hospital last week for treatment of the cancer. At the time of his death, he was working for the St. Louis Blues as a goaltending instructor.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo's father has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. "You just love your dad, you want him to be all right," Romo said yesterday. "It's just part of getting older, and it happens to a lot of people. So, it's just another step in the path of life. " Ramiro Romo, 50, found out he had cancer just days after he and his wife were in Chicago watching their son throw for 329 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-10 victory over the Bears. They will be at Texas Stadium tomorrow when the Cowboys play New England in a matchup of 5-0 teams.

Renee Bonita Waters, whose own brave battle with cancer took second place to her concern for her children's future, died Friday. She was 36 and lived in South Philadelphia. A vivacious woman whose sense of humor and smile inspired family members to pull a tight ring of support around her, the woman they called "Bonnie" began her bout with cancer five years ago. By 1985, she was too ill to work and left her material management job at JFK Hospital, where she had worked for two years.

Tommy Brasher, the Eagles' irascible defensive line coach, was sent home yesterday from Pennsylvania Hospital after surgery on Wednesday to remove a cancerous salivary gland. Brasher, 60, is expected to make a full recovery, according to Eagles trainer Rick Burkholder. Burkholder briefed reporters after getting a report from Brasher and his physician, James Kearney. "When they did the surgery, they realized it was a fairly high-grade malignancy," Burkholder said. "They opted to remove the whole salivary gland.

Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur has taken a leave of absence because of cancer, several newspapers reported yesterday. Shurmur arrived Wednesday in Green Bay, where he formerly served the Packers as defensive boss, and where he might undergo treatment, the Post-Crescent, of Appleton, Wis., said, quoting unidentified sources. The Seattle Times, citing unidentified sources, also reported the cancer diagnosis. Shurmur, 66, beginning his 25th year in NFL coaching, was with the Packers from 1994 to 1998, after which he joined former Packers coach Mike Holmgren in Seattle.

The Philadelphia sports community has lost another legend. Otho Davis, the renowned athletic trainer and veteran of 23 seasons with the Eagles, died last evening after waging an inspiring battle against liver and pancreatic cancer. Davis, 66, passed peacefully with his wife, Mary Louise, family members and close friends at his bedside at St. Agnes Medical Center in South Philadelphia. Davis' body will be flown to his beloved hometown of Elgin, Texas, where he will be buried alongside his father.

On April 21, 1980, a warehouse filled with 2 million gallons of illegally stored chemicals burst into flames in Elizabeth, N.J. For 10 hours, more than 230 firefighters, most without breathing gear, battled through toxic smoke while exploding barrels rained chemicals on them. Over the next decade, those exposed to the blaze at Chemical Control Corp. suffered an unusually high rate of illness, which ranged from respiratory problems to cancer. More than 30 of the afflicted blamed the chemicals they encountered on the job. But claims for workers' compensation benefits were rejected because the firefighters could not prove a connection.

Denver Nuggets coach George Karl has been diagnosed with neck and throat cancer and will miss some games and practices while undergoing a rigorous treatment program of radiation and chemotherapy. His voice breaking at times, Karl revealed the diagnosis last night with his doctor, Jacques Saari, at his side and surrounded by his team and members of the Nuggets organization. "My desire is to do whatever I can to stay with my team throughout the treatment that I have to go through," Karl said.

ZaBeCor Pharmaceuticals of Bala Cynwyd said today that it formed a biotechnology subsidiary to develop molecular technologies for treatment of cancers in the blood and lymphatic system. The new unit, Biothorpe Pharmaceuticals, will focus on attacking a substance called Syk kinase, which studies have shown is required for the proliferation of malignant cells in several cancers, ZaBeCor said. Biothorpe's work will be targeted at three types of cancer: acute myelogenous leukemia, B-cell lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich practiced with his team for the first time since undergoing cancer treatment. Herzlich, of Wayne, led part of the hourlong captain's practice yesterday in the bubble-covered field at Alumni Stadium. He was the Atlantic Coast Conference defensive player of the year in 2008. He was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma, a rare form of cancer, the next spring and missed all of last season. "I'm very excited, even to do just a little stuff today," he said.