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

DATE: SATURDAY, February 12, 1994                   TAG: 9402120093
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK                                LENGTH: Short

ONASSIS DIAGNOSED WITH LYMPH CANCER

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis thought she might have the flu when she saw her doctor about a month ago. But the examination revealed cancer of the lymph system and the former first lady has been undergoing chemotherapy ever since.

The cancer, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, evidently was caught early and doctors believe she has a good chance of recovery, said Nancy Tuckerman, a spokeswoman and longtime associate.

"She's doing very well. She's maintaining her schedule," Tuckerman said Friday from the offices of Doubleday publishing, where Onassis is an editor.

Onassis, 64, decided to acknowledge her condition because of recent rumors about her health, Tuckerman said. She would not disclose details of her treatment.

Onassis has continued to work three days in the office and two days at home, Tuckerman said. She sees friends and family and has ridden horses at her New Jersey estate, Tuckerman said.

Non-Hodgkins lymphoma typically strikes people in their 60s and 70s. After lung cancer in women and malignant melanoma, it is the third most rapidly increasing cancer in the nation.

American Cancer Society statistics predict that 45,000 Americans will get non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 1994. After five years, 52 percent of them will still be alive.

Depending on the subtype, the lymphoma may be treated with chemotherapy alone, as is the case with Onassis, with radiation or with a combination of the two, said Dr. Harmon Eyre, the society's chief medical officer.

by CNB