Anthony Calvillo had surgery to remove his thyroid Tuesday after test results revealed some cancer cells.
But the outlook is good for the 38-year-old Montreal Alouettes quarterback, who is expected to resume his regular training in February and report for the start of training camp in June.
Last week, Calvillo underwent surgery to remove a lesion on his thyroid gland but results showed the presence of cancer cells. The CFL club said Calvillo underwent a complete thyroidectomy in Montreal and that according to the doctor who performed the surgery all went well and there were “no surprises.”
The Alouettes also said the operation will be followed by a single treatment of radioactive iodine therapy in January. Calvillo will be treated with thyroid hormone replacement medication in future.
The recovery rate for thyroid cancer is high in the majority of cases.
Less than an hour after leading Montreal to a 21-18 Grey Cup victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders last month, Calvillo dropped a bombshell by revealing his medical condition.
Calvillo said doctors had found a lesion while conducting extensive tests immediately following a sternum injury last summer. He added biopsies had been inconclusive.
The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland at the base of the neck, just below the voice box. It produces hormones that help control the body’s metabolism, heart rate, blood pressure and temperature.
The recovery rate for thyroid cancer is high in the majority of cases, though a recent Statistics Canada report says the disease has gone up 9.5 per cent per year in females and 6.8 per cent per year in males since 1998.
Calvillo’s wife, Alexia Kontolemos, successfully fought cancer two years ago.