ROANOKE TIMES

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, May 17, 1990                   TAG: 9005170195
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short


FREED HOSTAGE NEEDS SURGERY FOR CANCER

Freed American hostage Robert Polhill has a cancerous growth around his vocal cords that will require surgeons to remove his voice box, his physicians said Wednesday.

Such radical surgery, scheduled today, might have been avoided if the tumor had been diagnosed sooner, doctors said.

There is no evidence the cancer has spread, but Polhill's treatment will include radiation therapy.

Polhill, 55, was held captive by Shiite Moslems in Lebanon for 39 months before being released April 22. - Associated Press



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