STATE COLLEGE, Pa., Nov. 19 (UPI) -- Joe Paterno's family says the former Penn State coach's cancer is treatable, although doctors say it still poses a significant threat.
Paterno announced this week he had been diagnosed with an apparently early-stage lung cancer and was undergoing treatment.
"Last weekend my father was diagnosed with a treatable form of lung cancer during a follow-up visit for a bronchial illness," Paterno's son, Scott Paterno, said in a written statement Friday. "He is currently undergoing treatment and his doctors are optimistic that he will make a full recovery."
Details of the illness were unavailable; however, ABC News said Saturday that 52 percent of patients can survive for at least 5 years if the cancer is detected before it spreads out of the lungs. Unfortunately, only 15 percent of patients are diagnosed in the early stages.
Doctors also warned the aged patients, like the 84-year-old Paterno, have a tougher time withstanding the rigors of treatment unless they are in good physical shape for their age.
Paterno's son, Jay, a Penn State assistant coach, told ESPN his father was focused on health issues rather than the sex-abuse scandal revolving around former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. "He has a tendency to minimize things, but he's going to be fine," he said.
