Howser Resting Comfortably After Second Brain Operation

Dick Howser, manager of the Kansas City Royals, was alert and resting comfortably Friday night after undergoing a second operation for a malignant brain tumor.

The surgery was completed shortly before 6 p.m. at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena.

“There was some growth of the tumor and we were able to remove quite a bit,” Dr. Skip Jacques said.

“We placed fortified lymphocytes (white blood cells) in the surgical cavity,” Jacques said. “Dick is awake, alert, responsive and has spoken to his wife, Nancy, and his daughter, Jill.”

Howser was expected to be hospitalized for four or five days before returning to Kansas City, a team spokesman said.

Howser was diagnosed as having the brain tumor in July. A portion of the tumor was removed in an operation July 22, and he had five weeks of radiation therapy.

The Royals said the experimental operation, called immunostimulation, was considered from the beginning. They said it should not be taken as a sign that Howser’s condition had worsened.