Toronto mayor Rob Ford diagnosed with 'rare and difficult' form of cancer

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/17/rob-ford-diagnosed-cancer-toronto

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Toronto mayor Rob Ford has a “rare and difficult” form of cancer called malignant pleomorphic liposarcoma, doctors treating him at Mount Sinai hospital in Toronto announced on Wednesday.

Dr Zane Cohen, who is treating Ford, said that the medical team believes the tumor’s growth rate over the two years since his previous biopsy indicated that it was “fairly aggressive,” but would not give details about the mayor’s chances of a full recovery.

Pleomorphic lyposarcoma is a particularly dangerous form of cancer, with survival rates between 21 and 50 percent, according to studies quoted in the journal Nature.

The mayor will begin “fairly intense” chemotherapy in the next 48 hours, Cohen said. He will continue to be treated at Mount Sinai. Treatment may also include radiation and surgery, depending on his response to the initial chemotherapy.

A mayoral debate scheduled for Wednesday night was postponed.

On Friday, Rob Ford dropped out of the mayoral race to be replaced by his brother, Doug. He had been admitted to hospital two days earlier when a tumor was found in his abdomen.

“I wish Rob Ford and his family well,” said Olivia Chow, who is running for mayor against Doug Ford. “I know what is like when a family recieves bad news, but also know the strength well-wishers can give. I hope the Ford family can feel that warmth.”

Chow herself received treatment for thyroid cancer in 2004, and her husband, the politician Jack Layton, died of cancer in 2011.

“I know Rob Ford is strong,” she said. “He’s a fighter.”