Lymph Nodes

Former House speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi has been diagnosed with cancer in his tongue and lymph nodes, his family confirmed Friday, a disease that can be fatal if not detected early. DiMasi, a onetime political power now serving eight years in a Kentucky prison for corruption, was diagnosed last month after he discovered a suspicious growth, a family friend said. It's unclear where DiMasi will be treated, but there is a prison medical facility specializing in cancer treatment in North Carolina.

Former House speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi has been diagnosed with cancer in his tongue and lymph nodes, his family confirmed Friday, a disease that can be fatal if not detected early. DiMasi, a onetime political power now serving eight years in a Kentucky prison for corruption, was diagnosed last month after he discovered a suspicious growth, a family friend said. It's unclear where DiMasi will be treated, but there is a prison medical facility specializing in cancer treatment in North Carolina.

Former House speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi has been diagnosed with cancer in his tongue and lymph nodes, his family confirmed Friday, a disease that can be fatal if not detected early. DiMasi, a onetime political power now serving eight years in a Kentucky prison for corruption, was diagnosed last month after he discovered a suspicious growth, a family friend said. It's unclear where DiMasi will be treated, but there is a prison medical facility specializing in cancer treatment in North Carolina.

Former House speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi has been diagnosed with cancer in his tongue and lymph nodes, his family confirmed Friday, a disease that can be fatal if not detected early. DiMasi, a onetime political power now serving eight years in a Kentucky prison for corruption, was diagnosed last month after he discovered a suspicious growth, a family friend said. It's unclear where DiMasi will be treated, but there is a prison medical facility specializing in cancer treatment in North Carolina.

The Red Sox announced yesterday that Jon Lester, 22, had been diagnosed with a rare form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a blood cancer, and will begin treatment in the coming week. Sox manager Terry Francona, who said he visited Lester at Massachusetts General Hospital Thursday, informed the team of Lester's condition about an hour before last night's game against the Toronto Blue Jays. "We met as a team before the game just to make sure everyone understood what was going on," said Francona.

WASHINGTON - Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's cancer was found at the earliest stage and has not spread beyond her pancreas, the court said yesterday. The 75-year-old justice returned to her home in Washington yesterday, after being released from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, where she underwent pancreas surgery. The one-centimeter growth that doctors initially spotted during a CT scan in late January turned out, upon analysis, to be benign.

PITTSBURGH -- Mario Lemieux will miss the rest of the season after hip surgery next week, but he doesn't plan to retire. The six-time NHL scoring leader and two-time Stanley Cup champion hasn't played for the Pittsburgh Penguins since injuring his left hip Nov. 1 against the Bruins. Lemieux, 38, has since tried therapy and rehabilitation, but an MRI yesterday showed no improvement. Lemieux, who also owns the last-place Penguins, will have arthroscopic surgery Tuesday. "I was optimistic that the injury would heal, and I was hoping to get back in the lineup," Lemieux said.

Surprising results from two new studies may reopen debate about the value of Avastin for breast cancer. The drug helped make tumors disappear in certain women with early-stage disease, researchers found. Avastin recently lost approval for treating advanced breast cancer, but the new studies suggest it might help women whose disease has not spread so widely. These were the first big tests of the drug for early breast cancer, and doctors were cautiously excited it showed potential to help.

A decadelong study comparing conventional colon cancer surgery with "keyhole" surgery found identical success rates, disproving fears that tumors would be more likely to return if surgeons did not open up the patient's belly for a full view. In conventional surgery, doctors remove a cancerous colon segment through an 8-inch cut down the abdomen. In keyhole, or laparoscopic, surgery, they operate with a laparoscope, or tiny video camera, and miniaturized surgical instruments that are inserted through half-inch incisions.

BRIDGEWATER - Ellyn M. Robinson stepped onto the mat in the weight room at Bridgewater State University, where she is professor in the strength and conditioning program. The short-haired, slim, and athletic 46-year-old bent to pull up a bar with more than 100 pounds on it, jerked it to her chest, and, with her eyes focused on the far wall, hoisted it over her head for a few seconds before letting it slam to the mat. Not bad for a woman once told by doctors to never lift anything heavier than a bag of groceries.

Surprising results from two new studies may reopen debate about the value of Avastin for breast cancer. The drug helped make tumors disappear in certain women with early-stage disease, researchers found. Avastin recently lost approval for treating advanced breast cancer, but the new studies suggest it might help women whose disease has not spread so widely. These were the first big tests of the drug for early breast cancer, and doctors were cautiously excited it showed potential to help.

BRIDGEWATER - Ellyn M. Robinson stepped onto the mat in the weight room at Bridgewater State University, where she is professor in the strength and conditioning program. The short-haired, slim, and athletic 46-year-old bent to pull up a bar with more than 100 pounds on it, jerked it to her chest, and, with her eyes focused on the far wall, hoisted it over her head for a few seconds before letting it slam to the mat. Not bad for a woman once told by doctors to never lift anything heavier than a bag of groceries.

SAN ANTONIO — One of the most promising new approaches for fighting breast cancer took a stunning setback yesterday when a major study showed that a bone-building drug did not stop cancer from returning or extend life for most women fighting the disease. But the drug Zometa did seem to help certain post-menopausal women. Its maker, Novartis AG, is considering further study but will suspend plans to expand it beyond its current use as a treatment for patients whose cancer has spread to the bone.

WASHINGTON - Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's cancer was found at the earliest stage and has not spread beyond her pancreas, the court said yesterday. The 75-year-old justice returned to her home in Washington yesterday, after being released from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, where she underwent pancreas surgery. The one-centimeter growth that doctors initially spotted during a CT scan in late January turned out, upon analysis, to be benign.

The Red Sox announced yesterday that Jon Lester, 22, had been diagnosed with a rare form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a blood cancer, and will begin treatment in the coming week. Sox manager Terry Francona, who said he visited Lester at Massachusetts General Hospital Thursday, informed the team of Lester's condition about an hour before last night's game against the Toronto Blue Jays. "We met as a team before the game just to make sure everyone understood what was going on," said Francona.

WASHINGTON -- Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist revealed yesterday that he is undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment for thyroid cancer, signs he has a grave form of the disease and probably will not return to the bench soon. The election eve disclosure by the 80-year-old justice underscores the near certainty that the next president will make at least one appointment to the Supreme Court, and probably more. Rehnquist had planned to join his colleagues when they returned to hear arguments yesterday after a two-week break.

SAN ANTONIO — One of the most promising new approaches for fighting breast cancer took a stunning setback yesterday when a major study showed that a bone-building drug did not stop cancer from returning or extend life for most women fighting the disease. But the drug Zometa did seem to help certain post-menopausal women. Its maker, Novartis AG, is considering further study but will suspend plans to expand it beyond its current use as a treatment for patients whose cancer has spread to the bone.

A decadelong study comparing conventional colon cancer surgery with "keyhole" surgery found identical success rates, disproving fears that tumors would be more likely to return if surgeons did not open up the patient's belly for a full view. In conventional surgery, doctors remove a cancerous colon segment through an 8-inch cut down the abdomen. In keyhole, or laparoscopic, surgery, they operate with a laparoscope, or tiny video camera, and miniaturized surgical instruments that are inserted through half-inch incisions.