President Howard W. Hunter of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is being treated for prostate cancer that has spread to the bones, according to a statement released by the church Wednesday morning.
The 87-year-old church leader was released from LDS Hospital Monday, Jan. 16, and is resting at home. He was in the hospital for 4 1/2 days.His attending physician, Dr. William F. Reilly, a specialist in internal medicine, said, "President Hunter's condition is a serious one. He has cancer of the prostate gland, metastatic to the bones, for which he is currently being treated."
The cancer was first diagnosed in 1980. Its recurrence appears to have contributed to the exhaustion for which President Hunter was treated last week.
According to a widely circulated biography on President Hunter, then a member of the Council of the Twelve, entered the hospital June 4, 1980, and underwent 4 1/2 hours of surgery to remove the tumor.
He was grateful when his surgeons told him they had found no cancer cells in the lymph nodes, which meant he would not have to undergo radiation or other treatment. The day he was released from the hospital, he reported that his home teacher brought him a bowl of beautiful strawberries.
"I'm commencing to believe that it's not so bad to be sick after all," he wrote as quoted in the biography, written by Eleanor Knowles.
Dr. Richard G. Middleton, chief of urology at the University of Utah School of Medicine, said recurrence of prostate cancer after surgery is not uncommon. Middleton spoke about prostate cancer in general but is not President Hunter's physician.
He said most patients in President Hunter's situation "likely undergo hormone treatment. Hor-mone treatment can be effective for a variable period, from one to 10 years with an average of 1 1/2 to two years. Fortunately, prostate cancer in elderly men often progresses at a very slow rate," Middleton said.
President Hunter has had other medical problems, including a history of heart disease. He underwent quadruple-bypass surgery in 1986. In 1987 he had surgeries for a bleeding ulcer and a painful lower-back condition.
During routine gall bladder surgery in May 1993, President Hunter had an adverse reaction to medication and was in a coma several days. In January 1994 he received emergency treatment for an unspecified ailment.
Since becoming president of the church on June 5, 1994, President Hunter has traveled extensively in the United States and internationally. He organized the 2,000th stake of the church in Mexico in mid-December and dedicated the Bountiful Utah Temple last week.
President Hunter, who continues to function in his office and calling, was set apart as the 14th president of the church at age 86 after serving nearly 35 years in the Council of the Twelve.
The beloved church leader immediately began a busy schedule of speaking and traveling. He has emphasized the importance of more fully following the example of the Savior, of the importance of being worthy to enter the temple and of attending the temple regularly.