Penguin Star Lemieux Has Hodgkin’s Disease : Hockey: Team says he has less-serious form of cancer. It is not considered life- or career-threatening.

Mario Lemieux has been found to have Hodgkin’s disease, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced Tuesday night.

The team said that Lemieux was diagnosed with the less-serious form of the chronic disease, and it is not considered to be life-threatening or career-threatening, according to team physician Dr. Charles Burke.

The diagnosis was made after the removal of an enlarged lymph node in Lemieux’s neck, the Penguins said. The disease is limited to the abnormal node.

Lemieux is expected to miss four to six weeks.

Lemieux had missed the Penguins’ last two games with a flare-up of the chronic back problem that sidelined him for 103 games over the last 3 1/2 seasons.

Lemieux wasn’t present Tuesday for the team’s annual visit to Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh. The Penguins’ next game is at Boston on Thursday.

Hodgkin’s disease is a type of cancer in which the lymph nodes become enlarged. Most victims of the disease, which strikes more men than women, are between 20 and 40 years old.

Hodgkin’s disease can be fatal. The cause of the disease is unknown.

Medical research has found that the disease spreads in a fairly predictable way from one group of lymph nodes to the next, and that it takes a relatively long time to spread to other areas of the body.

Also, research has found that Hodgkin’s can usually be treated successfully with X-rays in early stages, and can often be treated successfully with drugs in advanced stages.

Until last week, Lemieux was enjoying his most injury-free season in four years and was threatening Wayne Gretzky’s NHL scoring record of 216 points.

Lemieux had 39 goals and 65 assists for 104 points, 23 more than Buffalo’s Pat Lafontaine, in 40 of the Penguins’ first 42 games. The Penguins had a 29-11-4 record, best in the NHL.

Lemieux, 27, won his third NHL scoring title in five years with 131 points last season despite missing 16 games with back-related problems. He was limited to 26 games in 1990-91, missing the Penguins’ first 50 games after back surgery before returning to lead Pittsburgh to the first of its consecutive Stanley Cup championships.

Recently voted to play in his seventh NHL All-Star game, Lemieux hasn’t played close to a full season since taking part in 76 games in 1988-89.

He missed 22 of the Penguins’ final 23 games the next season, when he first developed a back problem. He underwent surgery to remove a herniated disc.