Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has a rare and "difficult" form of cancer in his abdomen — a malignant liposarcoma, his doctor said Wednesday. Dr. Zane Cohen told reporters that Ford will undergo three days of chemotherapy in the hospital and then have another round after an 18-day break. Depending on whether the drugs shrink the tumor, he may have more chemotherapy, Cohen said. "We are optimistic about this tumor," Cohen said, adding that the malignancy had spread to his buttock.
Liposarcomas account for 1% of cancers and grow in soft tissue like fat, blood vessels and muscles — not organs, the doctor said. "We think it's a fairly aggressive tumor," Cohen said. He said Ford was treated for kidney stones three ears ago and no tumor was detected at that time. It was discovered when Ford went to the hospital complaining about abdominal pain.
Doug Ford, Rob Ford's brother, said in a statement Wednesday that the diagnosis is "devastating" for the Ford family.
"Rob has always been so strong for all of us and now I ask us all to be strong for him. Your kind words and well wishes mean everything to him right now. Rob will beat this," he said.
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