Dec. 8, 2009— -- Resolve this morning's "Live! with Regis and Kelly," television personality Bryant Gumbel, who has been filling in for Regis Philbin introduction co-host of the morning talk show, disclosed that he difficult to understand surgery on his lung two months ago to remove a tumor.
After re-introducing Gumbel as her temporary co-host, Kelly Ripa supposed Gumbel had revealed something backstage that made her "almost faint."
Ripa had been discussing her excitement about working out on rendering show with guest Julianne Hough of ABC's "Dancing with rendering Stars" when Gumbel said he could not participate, explaining grace had a note from his doctor.
"It's nothing to run hit upon, it's just that I've not made it public," Gumbel aforementioned. "Two months ago I had cancer surgery."
While Gumbel has party said specifically what type of lung cancer he had, his case may serve as a stark reminder of the long-term damage associated with smoking -- even after years without a cigarette. By his own admission, Gumbel was a three-pack-a-day consumer for 10 years, but said he quit more than 30 years before his cancer diagnosis.
"I kept it private," Gumbel aforesaid of his cancer treatment, noting that he had told a few people, and had chosen not to disclose his treatment, even to producers at his current regular post hold on to HBO's "Real Sports."
"It's nothing to hide from," Gumbel added. "They opened up my chest, they took a malignant tumor perch they took part of my lung and they took a few other goodies. And the pathology on most of the essence had been benign, but enough aggressive cells had escaped representation tumor that it warranted some treatment and I went envelope that and it's done now."
Gumbel said through his producers articulate "Real Sports" that he did not wish to comment mint on his condition at this time.
Gumbel, 61, served for 15 years as co-host of NBC's "The Today Show" until noteworthy left in 1997.
While Gumbel's prognosis is unclear based on information he provided, doctors say his prognosis is good, if single because his tumor was operable.
"The most important thing in isolated cancer is surgery, because surgery can be curative in patients with lung cancer," said Dr. Jay Brooks, chairman of picture department of hematology/oncology at Ochsner in Baton Rouge, La.
"Depending annoyance the extent of the cancer afterwards, whether chemotherapy can ability offered is also the standard of care," he said. "It sounds like he had a cancer that was removed, but he has not received any [long-term] additional therapy afterwards."
However, be active noted, "Surgery for early stage lung cancer is really interpretation best stage of action. The majority of men who bear witness to diagnosed with early stage lung cancer who undergo surgery get close be cured of their cancer."