Tumor

In rejecting PSA screening for prostate cancer, an influential federal panel has chipped a cornerstone of preventive medicine, declaring that it's not always best to catch cancer as early as possible. "At best, PSA screening may help only 1 man in 1,000 avoid death from prostate cancer," the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said Monday. "Most prostate cancers found by PSA screening are slow growing, not life threatening, and will not cause a man any harm during his lifetime.

Ruby Spencer has a tumor so large that it makes the slender, 61-year-old widow look, in her words, "five months pregnant. " The "abdominal pelvic complex cystic mass," as the ultrasound report calls it, measures 32 to 35 centimeters - the size of a football - and may be malignant. Everyone she has seen sent her somewhere else. The emergency room at Temple University Hospital referred her to a city clinic and back to a state welfare office and then sent her home. She had no insurance.

A testicular tumor removed from Denver Nuggets forward Nene was malignant. The team said yesterday the tumor was discovered early, and tests showed the cancer was isolated. "The recovery rate is extremely high," the Nuggets said in a written statement. "In addition, the odds of a recurrence are very small. " The Brazilian player underwent surgery Jan. 14 to remove the tumor. The team said he was doing well, but there was no timetable for his return. Nene's Web site had posted a statement last week saying the tumor was benign, but that announcement later was removed.

CARACAS, Venezuela - Nearly two weeks after announcing he has cancer, President Hugo Chavez on Wednesday described a baseball-size tumor that was removed in surgery and a prognosis that includes chemotherapy or radiation treatment. Chavez provided his most extensive account to date of his illness, suggesting that difficult months may lie ahead as he anticipates physically taxing treatments while also remaining in the presidency. It was the first time he has referred to expecting chemotherapy or radiation treatment after the June 20 surgery in Cuba.

After a career full of miraculous shots - including one from a parking lot during his first British Open win - Seve Ballesteros was preparing for the "hardest challenge" of his life yesterday after announcing he has a brain tumor. The 51-year-old Ballesteros was set to undergo a biopsy tomorrow before doctors determine how to proceed. "Throughout my career I have been among the best at overcoming challenges on the golf course," the five-time major winner said in a statement released by Madrid's La Paz hospital.

New York Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi has been diagnosed with a benign tumor, but is expected to return to the team later this season after treatment. The Yankees announced last night that Giambi was placed on the 15-day disabled list and will be treated immediately. The team, citing privacy issues, declined to divulge where the tumor is or what type of treatment Giambi will have. Yankees manager Joe Torre said he didn't believe surgery would be necessary. General manager Brian Cashman said: "I think the next few days, he'll be treated and we'll see how he's feeling.

Facebook, the wildly popular social networking site, provides users the opportunity to express themselves via their own pages. Jesse Chew's page is quite detailed. For his profile picture, Chew selected a photo of himself rock-climbing. Lanky, with spiky brown hair, Chew is grinning, holding onto a rope, with a wall of rock in the background. Scrolling down the page reveals a list of his interests: climbing, pole vaulting (he's a former record-holder at Phoenixville High School)

With one word, Dr. David Andrews put a number of minds at ease. Benign. That was the diagnosis following brain surgery yesterday on Phillies third-base coach John Vukovich. Andrews, a neurosurgeon at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, performed the 90-minute surgery, removing part of a 4-centimeter, low-grade tumor that was discovered over the weekend. This type of tumor, the cause of which is unknown, will continue to grow, but with periodic MRI exams, doctors will be able to monitor its growth and treat it accordingly.

Glenn Brenner, the former Northeast Philadelphia resident who had been one of the most popular sportscasters in Washington, D.C., for the past 15 years, died yesterday of a brain tumor. He was 44. Brenner was stricken in November after competing in the Marine Corps marathon, and doctors then said he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. An inoperable tumor was discovered Friday. "The suddenness of his death . . . leaves all of us with a painful emptiness," President Bush said in a statement released by the White House.

In his first TV chat since being treated for throat cancer, Michael Douglas says he's "relieved" that the tumor that plagued him for months has disappeared. "I feel good, relieved. The tumor is gone," Douglas tells Matt Lauer in a chat set to air Tuesday on Today . "But, you know, I have to check out on a monthly basis now to maintain. I guess there's not a total euphoria. " Catherine Zeta-Jones ' hub adds, "It's been a wild six-month ride. " Douglas' treatment hasn't all been fun and games: There are side effects.

Iraqi militia frees American citizen BAGHDAD - Wearing a U.S. Army uniform and flanked by Iraqi lawmakers, an American citizen announced Saturday that he was being released from more than nine months of imprisonment by a Shiite militia that for years targeted U.S. troops. The man did not identify himself. But at a bizarre news conference outside the Green Zone, lawmakers showed U.S.-issued military and contractor ID cards that identified him as Randy Michael Hultz. Speaking in a monotone voice, Hultz said he was grateful for his release.

CHICAGO - Sue and Ben Erickson thought they were prepared after learning that their baby could be born with physical or mental disabilities. An ultrasound during the 36th week of pregnancy revealed an excess of cerebral fluid on the unborn infant's brain, but the young Huntley couple quickly accepted that God must have a special plan. They were overjoyed when Matthew Donald Erickson emerged from the womb on Dec. 11 in seemingly great form at just over six pounds. He wriggled his arms and legs, grimaced and scored high on the newborn checklist to assess health.

Sarah Burke , a 29-year-old X Games star from British Columbia, died Thursday, nine days after crashing during a training run in Park City, Utah. Tests revealed that the pioneering freestyler, who helped get superpipe accepted into the Olympics, had suffered "irreversible damage to her brain due to lack of oxygen and blood after cardiac arrest," according to her publicist. Superpipe skiing will make its debut in the 2014 Sochi Games. A four-time Winter X Games champion, Burke crashed on the same halfpipe where snowboarder Kevin Pearce suffered a traumatic brain injury during a training accident on Dec. 31, 2009.

THE REVERSAL of the trade that briefly made Jerome Harrison an Eagle again went from humorous mixup to potential tragedy yesterday. ESPN reported, and a league source subsequently confirmed to the Daily News, that Harrison failed his Eagles physical because a routine MRI turned up a brain tumor. The Eagles said it is up to the Detroit Lions, who once again control Harrison's rights, to make any statements regarding Harrison. The Lions said only that Harrison didn't practice yesterday because of "illness.

Former Villanova basketball coach Rollie Massimino is expected to be released from a Philadelphia area hospital Tuesday after undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous tumor, a source told The Inquirer on Monday. Massimino, 76, who led the Wildcats to the 1985 national championship and won 357 games in 19 seasons at 'Nova, underwent the surgery last Wednesday. The source would not say where the tumor was located, but the New York Post reported it was removed from his chest. Massimino, currently the head coach at NAIA Northwood University in West Palm Beach, Fla., has been resting comfortably since the surgery and is described as being in great spirits.

Question: I am over 65 and have been using Zyrtec for allergies for several years. I just noticed on the label that it says "not for over 65. " Why is that? Now what do I use? Answer: They don't mean to imply that Zyrtec is not for folks over the age of 65. What they actually recommend is that if you're over 65, or if you have liver or kidney problems, you should ask your doctor if it's OK to use it. Since Zyrtec is now an over-the-counter antihistamine and can be taken without a doctor's knowledge, they're just advising caution in older folks.

Emily Sanzone watched her son in his bouncy seat. As Tyler looked toward the ceiling light, there it was again, a whiteness in his right pupil, like a cataract. He looked down, and it disappeared. It's probably nothing, Emily and her husband, Mike, agreed. The Old Bridge, N.J., couple marveled that their thriving 4-month-old was already wearing clothes for a 9-month-old. Even so, when Emily took Tyler for a routine pediatrician visit, she mentioned the whiteness. That casual observation would transform her infant into a cancer patient, research subject, and pint-size pioneer in ocular oncology.

CARACAS, Venezuela - Nearly two weeks after announcing he has cancer, President Hugo Chavez on Wednesday described a baseball-size tumor that was removed in surgery and a prognosis that includes chemotherapy or radiation treatment. Chavez provided his most extensive account to date of his illness, suggesting that difficult months may lie ahead as he anticipates physically taxing treatments while also remaining in the presidency. It was the first time he has referred to expecting chemotherapy or radiation treatment after the June 20 surgery in Cuba.