All-time tennis great Chris Evert gets second cancer diagnosis, takes a break from ESPN

Chris Evert, one of the tennis world's greatest woman stars, just received a cancer diagnosis — her second.

The 68-year-old International Tennis Hall-of-Famer, according to a story by Glynn A. Hill in yesterday's editions of The Washington Post, is temporarily stepping down from her position as ESPN analyst and will miss the network's coverage of the Australian Open next month.

Chris Evert

Her public announcement, the article says, "came 11 months after Evert declared she was free of ovarian cancer, which she had discovered in January 2022."

The 18-time Gram Slam singles champion, who intends to return to ESPN for its coverage of the rest of the Grand Slam season, is undergoing chemotherapy following another robotic surgery to remove the malignant cells.

Her statement, made through the network, said, "Since I was first diagnosed with cancer…I've been very open about my experience. I wanted to give all of you an update. My cancer is back. While this is a diagnosis I never wanted to hear, I once again feel fortunate that it ws caught early."

She added that she encourages "everyone to know [their] family history and advocate for [themselves]. Early detection saves lives. Be thankful for your health this holiday season." 

Evert, one of the most accomplished players in tennis history, "was ranked first or second in the world from 1975 to 1986 and she became the first player of any gender to win 1,000 singles matches" Hill's story notes.

Evert's first diagnosis was made after a preventive hysterectomy, after which she underwent six cycles of chemo. That helped her bond with her friend, ex-rival Martina Navratilova, who at roughly the same time was diagnosed with early-stage throat and breast cancers. In March of this year, Navratilova declared she was cancer-free.

To learn more about recurring disease, check out Rollercoaster: How a man can survive his partner's breast cancer, a VitalityPress book that I, Woody Weingarten, aimed at male caregivers.

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova diagnosed with 'double whammy' — breast and throat cancers

Tennis great Martina Navratilova starts treatment this month for both breast and throat cancers. 

According to an Associated Press story on yesterday's Huffpost website, her agent Mary Greenham says the prognosis is good — despite the breast cancer being her second bout with the disease.

Martina Navratilova

Navratilova, a 66-year-old, 18-time Grand Slam singles champion, is quoted as saying, "This double whammy is serious but still fixable, and I'm hoping for a favorable outcome. It's going to stink for a while but I'll fight with all I have got."

In 2010, she'd been diagnosed with a noninvasive form of breast cancer and had a lumpectomy. This time, the AP reports, she says she noticed "an enlarged lymph node in her neck while attending the season-ending World Tennis Association finals in Fort Worth, Texas, in November, and a biopsy showed early-stage throat cancer." 

While she was undergoing tests on her throat, the story continues, "the unrelated breast cancer was discovered."

Greenham's statement says the tennis star, who's worked as a television analyst in recent years, won't be a regular part of Tennis Channel's coverage of the Australian Open later this month "but hopes to be able to join in from time to time" via video conference. 

Another story, by Matt Bonesteel in yesterday's editions of The Washington Post quotes Navratilova in 2017 while talking about her earlier battle: "I was as healthy as you can get and didn't really have to worry about anything. [But after the diagnosis], you realize your life can change in a nanosecond, so that 'seize the day' thing definitely applies."

Her attitude was awesome, as it's expected to be this go-'round: "I'm always good about dealing with reality and getting on with it, not worry about too many possibilities. Just what is now, let's deal with it. That's where tennis training comes in handy, you need to deal with the ball, the ball is right here. You don't think about anything else. Being a top-level athlete, a pro athlete, you learn to be positive. So that came in very handy as a patient. Being a positive person helped a lot, and surround yourself with positive people as well."

Bonesteel's piece notes that she was the top-ranked women's singles player for 332 weeks — second only to Steffi Graf. 

Navratilova still holds  the WTA Tour's all-time record of 167 titles.

More information on life-threatening disease and treatments for them can be found in Rollercoaster: How a man can survive his partner's breast cancer,  a VitalityPress book that I, Woody Weingarten, aimed at male caregivers.

New insights, treatments, tests in disease 'war'

Medical community is starting to believe less is more when it comes to cancer treatments 

More and more doctors and patients apparently are using less aggressive weapons to fight cancer these days.

Dr. Justin Bekelman

A story by Laurie McKinley in yesterday's Washington Post quotes Dr. Justin Bekelman, a radiation oncologist at the University of Pennsylvania, about the medical community's focus on the "war on cancer."

Historically, he says, that phrase "implied that more is better and decimation is desired."

McKinley's story contends, however, that the idea is "falling out of favor," not only because it "subtly blames patients" who die "but also because it doesn't capture a world of new biological insights, improved treatments and molecular tests that are transforming how cancer is treated."

According to Bekelman, "Knowing when not to treat" can be "great medicine" — because, the story charges, oncologists equipped with new tools and evidence can cut back on toxic and costly approaches likely do more harm than good.

Cancer, nevertheless, is not monolithic, the story indicates.

Rather, some cancers "need to be bludgeoned, but others can be treated with more tailored therapies or simply watched."

Although the latest mindset of "doing less in the face of danger" can be "emotionally difficult" for both patients and physicians, the article notes, proof that less is more has been frequently popping up lately, including a landmark clinical trial published in June that found more than "two-thirds of women with early-stage breast cancer can safely avoid chemotherapy." 

Not to mention the fact, according to the piece, that "men with early-stage, low-risk prostate cancer are rapidly embracing 'active surveillance' over surgery — and avoiding possible complications such as incontinence and sexual dysfunction," and that throat cancer caused by human papilloma virus, because it varies from other types of the disease, allows a cutback "in a brutal treatment regimen and [reduces] the risk of potentially devastating disfigurement."

The Post story also mentions the emergence of immunotherapy, usually less toxic than chemo, "as a first-line treatment for many patients," and cites a recent study showing that "people with advanced kidney cancer can skip surgery to have their kidneys removed and instead go right to drug treatment."

De-escalation isn't happening universally, however. 

McKinley contends that the "most common form of thyroid cancer, which poses little risk, is often still treated with unnecessary surgery, experts say. And some malignancies, such as pancreatic cancer, are so lethal that doctors are racing to find ways to ramp up treatment."

Details on trends and clinical trials in treatment can be found in "Rollercoaster: How a man can survive his partner's breast cancer," a VitalityPress book that I, Woody Weingarten, aimed at male caregivers.

Are younger men shunning intercourse?

Men's oral cancer risk leaps 61 percent in four years — because of a shift in sexual habits

The risk of oral cancer in men has jumped dramatically.

Insurance claims from "a database of more than 21 billion privately billed medical and dental claims" show the reasons, according to an article this week by Ariana Eunjung Cha in The Washington Post.

With one of the main causes being "the cascading effect of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the United States."

The American Cancer Society has estimated some 50,000 Americans will be infected this year, with 9,500 dying from the disease.

The Post story, citing a report published by FAIR Health, disclosed that the increase in oral cancer from 2011 to 2015 was a startling 61 percent.

With the biggest increases coming in throat and tongue cancers.

During the period studied, those cancers were three times as prevalent in men as women, the Post piece noted.

In the past, oral cancer was linked mainly to smoking, alcohol use or a combination.

Now, the Post article maintained, changing sexual habits are a problem, with surveys showing "younger men are more likely to perform oral sex than their older counterparts and have a tendency to engage with more partners."

Dr. Gypsyamber D'Souza

According to Gypsyamber D'Souza, PhD., an associate professor in the Viral Oncology and Cancer Prevention and Control Program at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health quoted by the Post, "These differences in sexual behavior…explain…why the rate of this cancer is increasing."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this month recommended preteens 11 or 12 get vaccinated against HPV, noting that more teenagers and young adults "are engaging in oral sex than vaginal intercourse under the assumption that it's safer."

It's not, of course, unless only the possibility of pregnancy is being considered.

Information about disease prevention can be found in "Rollercoaster: How a man can survive his partner's breast cancer," a VitalityPress book I, Woody Weingarten, aimed at male caregivers.

Care by 'Rollercoaster' author parallels singer's

Celine Dion's caregiving for her cancer-patient husband mirrors that of 'Rollercoaster' author

Celine Dion with husband Rene Angelil

Superstar Celine Dion's caregiving for her throat-cancer patient husband Rene Angelil isn't far removed from the care I gave breast-cancer patient Nancy Fox, my wife.

In the final analysis, I'm convinced, all caregiving overlaps.

The singer's accounts weren't surprising: Women, are natural caregivers. 

We men, however, are used to believing we can fix everything — even when we can't. So the caregiving role doesn't fit us quite so easily.

It sometimes becomes necessary anyway.

The pop diva and I are two of what The New York Times reports are more than 35 million caregivers in the United States.

Dion recently publicized her helpmate activities — including feeding her husband-longtime manager through a tube three times every day — on television's "Good Morning America." Her tearful interview was conducted by Deborah Roberts of ABC News.

As for me, I wrote extensively about my caregiving role in a new VitalityPress book, "Rollercoaster: How a man can survive his partner's breast cancer." 

It's a volume — available in hardcover, paperback and ebook formats — that's aimed at male caregivers. It supplies information on the latest research and meds, and indicates where to get help.

The 47-year-old Canadian singer took a year off from her Las Vegas residency at Caesars Palace in August to deal with Angelil's disease. 

She said during the ABC-TV telecast, "We are taking life one day at a time, but we are choosing to live.”

She also noted that her partner "can’t use his mouth, he can’t eat, so I feed him…I do this myself. And so I feed my husband and I feed my kids.”

Dion has three sons with Angelil, 72, whose cancer returned late last year after being in remission since 1999. 

He subsequently stepped down as her manager, and was replaced by Aido Giampaolo.

Dion hopes to return to Vegas in August with a revamped show. 

Regarding her daughter's caregiving, Therese Dion, a TV personality in Quebec, was quoted a while back by the Toronto Sun as saying, "I think it’s so beautiful and smart for Celine to be with her husband and children. She reassures the kids."