New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson undergoes cancer surgery

New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson undergoes cancer surgery
December 17
New Orleans Times-Picayune
"Saints owner Tom Benson had surgery last week to remove a cancerous mass on his left kidney, the team announced Tuesday evening.

Benson, 81, had the 3-centimeter mass removed at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans on Dec. 10. He was released from the hospital Sunday night and is resting at home, according to Greg Bensel, Saints vice president of communications.

"The mass was discovered when Mr. Benson came in for a CT scan for an unrelated issue," said Dr. John Amoss, Benson's personal physician and the Saints' team doctor. "Once this mass was detected, it was subsequently removed by freezing the mass and then removing it. It was diagnosed as early-stage renal cell cancer, and the prognosis for this type of cancer removed at this stage is excellent. We anticipate a full and complete recovery, and he will not need any radiation or chemotherapy."

Amoss said that had the mass not been discovered in its early stage, it "certainly could have been life-threatening." But Amoss is "very optimistic that this is a complete cure," as it typically is in 90 percent to 95 percent of similar cases.

The cancer did not spread to any other part of Benson's body, Amoss said, and the follow-up for this procedure is to monitor the kidney to make sure there are no more growths.

There are more than 51,000 new cases of kidney and renal pelvis cancer each year with almost 13,000 deaths a year from the disease, according to the American Cancer Society.

In April 2001, Benson underwent quadruple heart bypass surgery. Less than a week later, he was back in the hospital with an increased heart rate. But since then, he has been in great health, Amoss said, and he has no history of cancer.

Amoss said Benson can expect to be 100 percent recovered from the surgery three weeks after the procedure.

"He is resting comfortably at his home in New Orleans and is expected to be back in the office next week," Bensel said. "He was very thankful to the wonderful doctors and staff at Ochsner Medical Center and the treatment he received while there."
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