Tenor Luciano Pavarotti underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer and is “recovering well,” his manager said today (July 7). The 70-year-old singer was preparing to leave New York last week to resume his farewell world concert tour in Britain when doctors discovered a malignant pancreatic mass, Terri Robson said from her London office.
“Fortunately, the mass was able to be completely removed at surgery,” she said in a statement. “Mr. Pavarotti is recovering well and his physicians are encouraged by the physical and emotional resilience of their patient.”
As a result of Pavarotti’s treatment, all remaining 2006 concerts have been canceled, she said. It is anticipated that tour plans will resume in early 2007. Concerts had been scheduled for Finland, Norway, Austria, Switzerland and Portugal in September.
Pavarotti was forced to postpone five June dates because of complications from back surgery. He canceled eight concerts in April, saying he had been advised not to travel or perform while undergoing back treatment.
Because pancreatic cancer is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage, it has one of the worst prognoses of all types of malignancies. Less than 4 percent of patients are still alive five years after diagnosis, and most die within a year. Even in the minority of cases where the tumor can be operated on, only about 23 percent remain cancer free.
Pavarotti retired from opera two years ago, saying his weight problem and bad knee prevented him from moving comfortably around stages. But he has kept up with his concert career.
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