Nene awaits results
After surgery Monday to remove a testicular tumor, the forward is "recovering well and in good condition"
By Benjamin Hochman
The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 01/16/2008 12:37:33 AM MST
ATLANTA -- Fate came randomly for Nene.
The NBA randomly selected the 25-year-old Nuggets forward for a drug test and the results detected something abnormal. Doctors soon found a tumor. Monday, Nene had a testicular tumor removed surgically. He now awaits the results of a biopsy to determine if cancer is present.
"I was like, 'Wow, they can find that out in a drug test?' " teammate Steven Hunter said. "It's very scary, but (he's) very lucky."
While the results are pending, the tumor was caught at an early stage, which is reassuring.
"With early diagnosis, your survival rate should be 99 percent. It's really a medical success story," said E. David Crawford, a urologist and cancer specialist at the University of Colorado Cancer Center.
Nene released a statement on his website, saying in part, "I want to thank my fans, my teammates, the Nuggets organization and everyone that's been supporting me. My victory will be their victory as well."
His surgery was performed by Dr. Fernando J. Kim, chief of urology at Denver Health Medical Center, who found "a right testicular mass." Kim said, "Nene is recovering well and in good condition."
Last week, team physician Dr. Saurabh Mangalik discovered the presence of the tumor. Nene then consulted Dr. Kim, a fellow Brazilian. Nene took a leave of absence from the Nuggets on Friday. Test results are expected this week.
"This whole thing is so much bigger than basketball," Nuggets star Allen Iverson said. "This is life. Obviously, it's a tough time for himself and his family. All we can do is be there to support him and be a phone call away if he needs us."
For Nuggets coach George Karl, the news was another in a series of sucker punches. After beating prostate cancer, he watched his son, Coby, battle removal of a cancerous thyroid and ensuing chemotherapy in 2006. Then, last year, Coby Karl had cancerous lymph nodes removed.
Before he shared the news about Nene with his team, George Karl met privately with his team captains, Iverson, Carmelo Anthony and Marcus Camby. The emotions, Karl admitted, were overwhelming. Now, he has to be the strong one.
"We want to build a family of strength for him that he can rely on," Karl said.
When Coby Karl, a rookie for the Los Angles Lakers, heard the news about Nene, he was shaken. "My heart was broken," he said. "It's different when you go through it, but when you know someone else has to go through it, and to know the fears they're going through, it made me want to just be there for him."
The oft-injured Nene, the seventh overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft, has had a star-crossed Nuggets career. He missed 22 games this season following thumb surgery, but had returned with a zest. For the season, he's averaged 6.4 points per game and 6.4 rebounds.
Coach Karl said it was premature to determine whether Nene will play again this season but in the best case scenario does not expect him back anytime soon. Denver has an opportunity to apply for a disabled player exception, which, if granted, would allow the team to sign another player for 50 percent of the worth of the disabled player. Nene is making about $8.8 million this season.
"I don't think there's a need to interpret anything until we get all the tests back," Karl said. "There are circumstances and situations that we should know in probably a week. He'll hopefully be back playing this year. But if not, he'll be back healthy, period."
About 7,920 men are diagnosed with testicular cancer in the United States every year — mostly men in their 20s and 30s, according to the National Cancer Institute. About 380 men died of testicular cancer last year.
Testicular cancer gained national attention in 1999 when survivor cyclist Lance Armstrong won his first Tour de France, three years after he was diagnosed with the disease, which quickly spread to his brain and lungs. Like Armstrong, most testicular cancer patients can be cured with surgery, radiation, chemotherapy or a combination of those treatments, the NCI reports.
The majority of Crawford's cancer patients discovered their own cancers, he said, because their testicle swelled or felt uncomfortable.
Monthly checks for lumps and bumps — much like those women perform to check for breast cancer — are probably the best way to catch testicular cancer early, Crawford said.
