Audrey Hepburn’s Tumor Found to Be Cancerous

A tumor that was removed from the colon of actress Audrey Hepburn was malignant, although doctors at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center say the cancerous growth was in its early stages and is not likely to cause any lasting damage.

The 63-year-old Hepburn was recuperating in a private room at the hospital Tuesday, two days after doctors removed a small portion of her colon.

Hospital spokesman Ron Wise said the tumor was a “low-grade malignancy”--meaning that it was not highly developed and there was no sign that it had spread. Doctors expect Hepburn to recover completely.

“Her spirits are excellent,” Wise said, adding that Hepburn will probably be released within the next six days.

An estimated 160,000 Americans are found to have colon cancer each year, making the disease the second most common form of cancer after lung cancer, said Lawrence Leichman, an oncologist at USC’s Kenneth Norris Jr. Comprehensive Cancer Center. The number of cases is rising as methods of detection become more sophisticated, he said.

Leichman said the surgery is successful in many patients--about 60%--and there is no recurrence of the cancer. In patients where the cancer has not affected the lymph nodes adjacent to the colon--as is apparently the case with Hepburn--the cure rate is 85% to 90%, he said.