Martina Navratilova down with throat and breast cancer
Navratilova first had breast cancer diagnosed at the age of 53 in February 2010
Martina Navratilova, the greatest player in the history of the Wimbledon tennis championships, has two forms of cancer, she has announced.
The 66-year-old dual American-Czech citizen has had throat and breast cancer diagnosed after discovering an enlarged lymph node in her neck in early November.
Tests found cause for concern in her breast as well. Navratilova was given the all-clear from breast cancer 13 years ago, after radiation treatment.
“This double whammy is serious but still fixable,” Navratilova said. “I’m hoping for a favourable outcome. It’s going to stink for a while but I’ll fight with all I have got.”
A spokeswoman for Navratilova added that “both these cancers are in early stage with great outcomes”.
Navratilova will not travel to the Australian Open, which starts in Melbourne on January 16, to perform television punditry duties but hopes to occasionally join the Tennis Channel through a remote video link from her home in Florida.
It was during a period of punditry work at the season-ending WTA Finals in Fort Worth, Texas, two months ago that Navratilova became concerned about the size of a lymph node in her neck. A biopsy led to a diagnosis of stage 1 throat cancer caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV).
Navratilova will commence treatment this month. As the cancer has been caught early, it is in only one part of the throat and has not spread to her vocal cords.
About 90 per cent of adults survive stage 1 throat cancer for five years or more after diagnosis.
The breast cancer is “unrelated to the throat cancer”, according to Navratilova’s spokeswoman, but no further details have been provided about its diagnosis or treatment.
Navratilova first had breast cancer diagnosed at the age of 53 in February 2010.
A month later she underwent a successful operation to remove the cancerous cells, followed by six weeks of radiation treatment. She did not require chemotherapy and continued playing in senior exhibition matches.
Navratilova, who was born in Prague in 1956 before becoming an American citizen in 1981, is widely regarded as one of the best tennis players of all time. She won nine Wimbledon singles titles, more than any male or female — Roger Federer and Helen Wills Moody are her nearest challengers with eight — and a total of 59 grand-slam championships across singles and doubles.
