John Gotti, head of the Gambino crime family who is serving a life prison term for murder, has neck and mouth cancer, and doctors give him less than a year to live, The New York Post reported Sunday.
Gotti, 60, was sentenced to life in 1992 on murder and racketeering charges and is being treated at the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Mo.
Doctors consulted by Gotti's family believe the cancer can be traced to neglect of his dental implants during his imprisonment, the Post said. "Every medical expert so far feels there's a link," it quoted a source as saying.
The paper said Gotti had more than 10 dental implants installed before he was sentenced in 1992, and began suffering gum infections around 1995. It said Gotti's condition got so bad that the so-called "Dapper Don" pulled out 10 of the implants himself.