St. John’s coach Steve Lavin will undergo surgery on Thursday at the world-renowned Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York to treat his prostate cancer. Lavin will have the condition treated this week and is expected to resume his coaching responsibilities with the Red Storm after a recovery period.
“The advantage of early detection is that we were afforded the time to research all options,” said Lavin, 47, who has been recruiting this week at Bridgton (Maine) Academy and Brewster (N.H.) Academy.
“After weighing treatment options with the experts at Sloan we have decided surgery is the best path to take for my particular prostate cancer condition. We are confident that this course of treatment will lead to a cancer-free life.”
“We have consulted with Steve and his family about his options, and are confident that surgery is the best option Steve has to make a smooth, quick and full recovery from his relatively low-grade cancer,” said Peter T. Scardino, M.D., Chairman of the Department of Surgery at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. “It is highly likely that this treatment will completely cure Coach Lavin’s condition, and because of his age and overall health, we anticipate a full return to his coaching duties.”
St. John’s announced in early April that Lavin was diagnosed with an early stage of the disease in the Fall of 2010. After more than a year of continuing normal coaching duties while pursuing a physician-recommended course of active surveillance, Lavin will now change his treatment path to surgery later this week.
