Tumor Discovered on Supervisor Roth’s Lung

An aide to Supervisor Don R. Roth said Friday that doctors have discovered a tumor on the supervisor’s left lung, but--after an initial “scare”--see no immediate risk.

“They do not believe that there is a problem,” said aide Dan Wooldridge, speaking on behalf of Roth, 70. “He’s just waiting and watching.”

No surgical procedures have been performed to determine whether the growth is malignant or benign, Wooldridge said. Doctors want to monitor Roth’s condition for 90 days and then decide if further measures may be needed.

A former mayor of Anaheim who was first elected to the Board of Supervisors in 1986, Roth went in for a routine physical two weeks ago and an X-ray revealed a spot on his left lung, Wooldridge said. Initially, Roth’s doctor recommended immediate surgery to remove part of the lung, the aide said.

But after Roth sought a second medical opinion and had a CAT scan, doctors last week deemed the tumor less threatening and recommended waiting. “They hope and believe there shouldn’t be a problem,” Wooldridge said.

Roth smoked while in the Navy but gave up the habit 30 years ago, Wooldridge said.

While Roth plans to remain working at the Hall of Administration, doctors are recommending that he “not overdo it” for the next few months, Wooldridge said. He has not experienced any physical problems.

Next Wednesday, the supervisor begins a two-week vacation that was scheduled prior to the tests. Wooldridge declined to say where Roth is going but, in reference to recent publicity over Roth’s political affairs, quipped that Roth will be traveling “out of the Los Angeles Times’ circulation area.”

Federal and county authorities are now conducting separate investigations into whether Roth may have traded political favors for gifts in his dealings with local constituents. The issue was first raised publicly in The Times.