Pavarotti Has Surgery for Pancreatic Cancer http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/08/arts/music/08pava.html
Article Tools Sponsored By By CAMPBELL ROBERTSON Published: July 8, 2006 Luciano Pavarotti, the superstar tenor, has undergone surgery for pancreatic cancer, his manager said yesterday. The surgery was successful, but as a result of Mr. Pavarotti's course of treatment, the remaining 2006 dates of his farewell tour have been canceled. Last week, just before Mr. Pavarotti was due to leave New York for Europe, doctors performing a round of routine medical checkups discovered a "malignant pancreatic mass," Mr. Pavarotti's manager, Terri Robson, wrote in an e-mail message. She added that the mass was "fully and successfully removed" during surgery this week, and that Mr. Pavarotti was recovering in a New York hospital that she did not name. He is expected to leave the hospital shortly, she said. Mr. Pavarotti, 70, is to undergo treatment over the next few months, Ms. Robson said, though she declined to give specifics. Mr. Pavarotti had completed slightly more than half the performances on his worldwide farewell tour, Ms. Robson said. Harvey Goldsmith, the producer of the tour, is planning to restart it in 2007. "Wherever possible, Mr. Pavarotti wants to reschedule dates which have been canceled as a result of his illness," Ms. Robson said. This year Mr. Pavarotti had already canceled several concerts for health problems, including complications from back and neck surgery. According to Ms. Robson, his doctors said the pancreatic mass was not related to those medical issues. In March 2004 Mr. Pavarotti gave what he said would be his last opera performance on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera, 43 years after his operatic debut and 36 years after his debut at the Met. In December of that year he announced a 40-city farewell tour, performing two to four concerts a month, with around three months off a year for teaching. Early into the tour he had to reschedule some dates and cancel others. He has also raised the possibility of joining José Carreras and Plácido Domingo for another "Three Tenors" concert. Dr. Elliot Newman, chief of gastrointestinal surgical oncology at N.Y.U. Cancer Institute, said the most common type of pancreatic cancer was also the most dangerous, with a survival rate after five years of about 10 to 14 percent; other types have much higher cure rates. Concerning Mr. Pavarotti, Ms. Robson would not say what type of cancer was diagnosed. According to the American Cancer Society, about 33,730 people in the United States will be found to have pancreatic cancer in 2006. "With pancreas cancer the real key is getting it early," Dr. Newman said. Reply with a "Thank you" if you liked this post. _____________________________ MEDIANEWS mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
