Houston mayor reveals he was treated for cancer this summer
The mayor of Houston has revealed that he underwent six weeks of radiation treatment over the summer following a bone The post Houston mayor reveals he was treated for cancer this summer appeared first on TheGrio.
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The mayor had a nine-hour surgery on June 30, during which surgeons took bone from his leg to restructure his jaw.
The mayor of Houston has revealed that he underwent six weeks of radiation treatment over the summer following a bone cancer diagnosis.
Mayor Sylvester Turner revealed at the State of the City address on Wednesday that doctors found a rare form of bone cancer called osteosarcoma in his jaw while having a root canal, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Turner had a nine-hour surgery on June 30, during which surgeons took bone from his leg to restructure his jaw. The operation was followed by six weeks of radiation in August and September.
“I’ve also had my own personal medical situation. For all of my life, I’ve been the healthiest ever,” Turner told former ABC13 anchor Tom Koch, per the Houston Chronicle. “I go to the dentist to get a root canal, on my way to France with the trade mission. Doctors come and say, ‘Well, it’s a little bit more than a root canal.'”
Mayor Pro Tem David Martin filled in for Turner while he missed several weeks of city council in June and July. Turner returned in mid-July. He spoke about his illness for the first time publicly at the annual address.
“They will be carrying me out in my chair, while I’m still signing executive orders for the next mayor either to tear up or undo,” Turner joked, as reported by The Houston Chronicle.
“You hired me for eight years, and I promise you, you will have me on the job for the full eight years,” he continued.
Osteosarcoma is the most common form of cancer that starts in the bone, according to the American Cancer Society. Each year, about 1,000 cases are diagnosed, mostly in children and adolescents. In cases of non-invasive cancers, the long-term survival rate is around 70%. If the disease spreads to the lungs or bones, survival may be as low as 30%.
It is common for patients to experience mild discomfort in their jaw and attribute it to a sore tooth. If left untreated, the pain becomes unbearable. Radiation is typically recommended after surgery to prevent the cancer from further spreading.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, it is believed that osteosarcoma is connected to DNA mutations in bone cells, either inherited or acquired after birth, the Chronicle reports.
Turner told the Texas Medical Center in 2017 that his father died of cancer when he was 13 years old.
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The post Houston mayor reveals he was treated for cancer this summer appeared first on TheGrio.
