September 4, 2007
Seligman begins treatment for curable cancer
President Seligman is undergoing chemotherapy to treat
a curable form of lymphoma. He described his recent diagnosis and his sense
of optimism in a message to the University community (available online at
www.rochester.edu/president) and in a press conference on August 21.
“When you first hear the word cancer, it’s
a shock. My wife, Friederike, and I have taken enormous comfort as
we’ve learned more about the treatment and prognosis. Nobody wants
cancer, but if you have to have it, this is one where the future looks so
firmly on the optimistic side that you feel pretty good about the
diagnosis,” Seligman said at the press conference.
He also outlined his treatment regimen, which will
include three or four rounds of chemotherapy followed by radiation. He was
joined by Richard Fisher, director of the Wilmot Cancer Center and a
leading expert on lymphomas, and by Board of Trustees Chairman G. Robert
Witmer Jr. ’59. Fisher will oversee Seligman’s treatment.
Seligman says he should be cancer-free within four to
five months. The cure rate for this type of early stage non-Hodgkin’s
lymphoma is 85 percent at 10 years.
Fisher says that while there will likely be some side
effects from the treatment, such as nausea and fatigue, Seligman will be
able to continue his work as University president unabated.
“His prognosis is very good, attitude is superb,
and general health is excellent. He is as of today a cancer survivor. He
will continue to be a survivor. It’s not what defines you, but is
just another adjective you add to describe yourself,” says Fisher.
If there is a silver lining to the diagnosis, Seligman
says, it has been the opportunity to see the Medical Center staff in
action. “The level of professionalism from the nurses to the
technicians has been just extraordinary. It’s not exactly the way I
wanted to see what they do day in and out to provide care, but it is
heartening to see the great quality work at this outstanding medical
center.”
He also says that if there is one message for the
University community, it is that progress will continue.
“We’re not stepping back from anything
we’ve started. I came here and said I wanted to go full tilt for at
least 10 years, as long as my health was strong and my board and faculty
support me. This is a health issue that has to be taken seriously, but
it’s not going to stop anything that’s begun. This is a
University on the move and we’re going to stay on the
move.”
Jenny Leonard is editor of Currents.
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