OU Zone

[originunknown]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist
disclosed Monday that he's undergoing radiation and
chemotherapy for thyroid cancer and said he is
delaying his expected return to the Supreme Court, a
sign he may have a more serious form of the illness.

Rehnquist had planned to join fellow justices when
they were back on the bench after a two-week break.
But instead he issued a statement saying "at the
suggestion of my doctors, (I) am continuing to
recuperate at home." (Full statement)

Rehnquist was released from a Maryland hospital last
Friday after undergoing surgery to have a tube
inserted in his throat to help his breathing.

The court has released no details about his weeklong
stay at Bethesda Naval Medical Center, except to say
that he had a tracheotomy. The type of thyroid cancer
and its severity have not been disclosed.

Rehnquist, 80, revealed the cancer diagnosis a week
ago, prompting speculation about a court vacancy for
the first time in more than a decade. The winner of
Tuesday's presidential election is expected to name
one or more justices to a court that is deeply divided
on issues like abortion, affirmative action and the
death penalty.

Dr. Ann M. Gillenwater of the University of Texas M.D.
Anderson Cancer Center in Houston said that the
combination of chemotherapy and radiation is the
normal treatment for anaplastic thyroid cancer, a more
serious type.

Rehnquist had been hoarse for several weeks before his
hospitalization at the hospital in suburban Bethesda,
Maryland on October 22. He had the tracheotomy a day
later.

Rehnquist, a conservative who has been on the court
since 1972 and chief justice since 1986, has had other
health problems including chronic back pain and a torn
leg tendon that required surgery.

In the statement, Rehnquist said he was receiving
outpatient radiation and chemotherapy. Cancer of the
thyroid, a gland in the neck that produces hormones to
help regulate the body's use of energy, is generally
treatable but can be more aggressive in older people.

"According to my doctors, my plan to return to the
office today was too optimistic," he said. "While at
home, I am working on court matters, including
opinions for cases already argued. I am, and will,
continue to be in close contact with my colleagues, my
law clerks, and members of the Supreme Court staff.

In his absence Monday, Justice John Paul Stevens, 84,
presided over the court. He said Rehnquist could still
vote in cases being argued this week, after reviewing
transcripts and briefs. (Latest decisions)

Rehnquist left his town house outside Washington in a
wheelchair on Monday morning. Journalists were kept on
the sidewalk and unable to see much as aides helped
the chief justice into a limousine.

The combination of radiation and chemotherapy raises
the suspicion that Rehnquist's cancer is not one of
the common types that are usually easily treatable,
said Dr. Joseph Geradts of Roswell Park Cancer
Institute in Buffalo, New York.

The most common types are papillary and follicular
cancer, and they are generally responsive to
radioactive iodine, Geradts said. Chemotherapy could
be needed if it is the more aggressive form, called
anaplastic, he said.

He noted that the gland is often removed as part of
cancer treatment, but in cases of anaplastic cancer
the thyroid sometimes cannot be readily removed.

The presence of a tracheotomy to ease Rehnquist's
breathing also might indicate anaplastic cancer,
Geradts said, since that form can squeeze the trachea.


Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. All rights
reserved.This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/11/01/rehnquist.cancer.ap/index.html