NFL Great Jim Kelly's Cancer Treatment Set

The beloved former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly,who led the NFL team to four consecutive Super Bowls from 1991-94,remains in New York's Lenox Hill Hospital,where he is scheduled to begin treatment for his aggressive head and neck cancer next Monday.He has endured a lot of pain and weakness recently,but is still determined to regain his health,bolstered by strong support and prayers from family and his Western New York fan base.
Last summer,part of Jim's jaw and some teeth were removed during oral surgery for a squamous cell carcinoma.Since then,however,the cancer has reportedly started to spread countless microscopic tumors up the infraorbital nerve,dangerously close to the carotid artery.Jim said he had complained about his headaches for months,but thought they were just part of healing from his June 2013 surgery.Routine testing recently diagnosed the recurring malignancy.*
In an April 1 statement on Jim's condition released by Lenox Hill Hospital,Peter Constantino,MD,executive director of the New York Head&Neck Institute,said Jim will start treatment next week targeting cancer cells in his maxillary sinus and adjacent tissues.He will receive a single dose of chemotherapy along with concurrent daily radiation treatments.The chemotherapy will be repeated on an outpatient basis in about three and six weeks.The radiation therapy will be a six week regimen at North Shore LIJ Cancer Institute Center for Advanced Medicine in Lake Success,New York,which has a new,47 million dollar,30,000 square foot radiation medicine faciltity that opened earlier this year.
At the conclusion of these treatments,we will wait two to three months to determine the status of his cancer before deciding if surgery will be necessary,Dr.Constantino said.I am confident that this current regimen has a good chance of successfully impacting Jim's cancer.
As I have stated previously,Jim Kelly's condition remains very treatable and potentially curable.Even if chemotherapy and radiation are not successful in eradicating the cancer,his skull-base tumor remains operable,the leading authority on cranial base tumor surgery and facial reconstruction concluded.
Head and neck cancer has been linked to tobacco use,heavy drinking and the human papilloma virus.