Malignant Tumor Removed From White Sox’s Radinsky

Scott Radinsky, Chicago White Sox reliever, had a malignant lymph node removed from his neck, and probably will sit out the season while undergoing treatment to prevent the spread of Hodgkin’s disease.

Radinsky, 25, has returned to his home in Simi Valley to begin chemotherapy and radiation treatments that could last six to eight months. Ron Schueler, White Sox general manager, said Tuesday there was an outside chance Radinsky could pitch this year.

Hodgkin’s disease is a chronic disease caused by the enlargement of lymph nodes and other lymph tissues. NHL star Mario Lemieux, NFL lineman Karl Nelson and Olympic wrestler Jeff Blatnick are among other athletes who have been afflicted with the disease.

“It’s curable, but you never know when you deal with chemo and radiation,” said Schueler, whose wife died from leukemia in 1991. “There are a lot more severe ones than the one he has. But it’s still cancer. I saw it with my wife when she was having chemo and radiation. It’s not a lot of fun.”

Radinsky underwent tests after complaining of discomfort on the left side of his neck. The surgery was performed Monday by oncologists at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. X-rays revealed no spread of the disease.

“The cure rate on this type of cancer is 80 to 90%,” Schueler said. “The doctors are real optimistic. They think he will be fine, even to the point that he’ll be weakened by all this treatment, but at times will be able to do a little physical therapy to keep his muscle structure up.”

Radinsky appeared in 78 games with the White Sox last season with an 8-2 record and a 4.28 ERA.