ATLANTA 21 October 1999 - SAPA-AP
ARCHBISHOP UNDERGOES SURGERY TO SEE IF CANCER HAS SPREAD
South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu underwent two hours of surgery Thursday to
determine whether his prostate cancer has spread to other parts of his body.
Tutu, who is now a theology professor at Emory University, was in surgery at
Emory University Hospital from 8:15 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., said Emory spokeswoman
Rashel Stephenson. The procedure, in which parts of Tutu's lymph nodes were
removed, will determine the extent of the cancer and whether new treatments are
necessary. Doctors planned to discuss the results at a news conference when
available. Tutu, 68, was originally diagnosed with and treated for prostate
cancer in 1997, when he was head of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation
Commission. Recent blood tests indicated the cancer may have returned, and a
biopsy of Tutu's prostate confirmed the recurrence, Tutu said in a statement
earlier this week. The former archbishop of Cape Town won the Nobel Peace Prize
in 1984 for his anti-apartheid efforts.
© South African Press Association, 1999
This text is for information only and may not be published or
reprinted without the permission of the South African Press Association