MADRID, Spain — Seve Ballesteros’ brain tumor is cancerous and he will undergo another operation to relieve pressure caused by swelling and bleeding that have recently developed.
The remaining parts of the malignant tumor, located in a very deep part of the brain, will be removed in today’s procedure.
La Paz Hospital said Thursday that the surgery is “of great complexity.”
Three doctors will operate on Ballesteros. The operation is due to begin early in the morning and is expected to last until the afternoon.
The 51-year-old Ballesteros was in stable, but serious, condition before the operation, the hospital said.
Based on an analysis of cells already removed, the tumor is classified as an oligoastrocytoma, a type that affects “cells that cover and protect the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord,” the hospital said.
Ballesteros was admitted to the hospital Oct. 6, and 10 days later a sizable part of the tumor was taken out.
Part of his skull was removed — a procedure known as decompressive craniotomy — to allow room for a swelling brain to expand. Doctors said it was not uncommon after such complex operations.
In a personally signed statement from his hospital bed, Ballesteros said he faced the “hardest challenge of my life.”
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