Former England cricketer Sir Geoffrey Boycott has revealed he has been diagnosed with throat cancer for a second time.
Sir Geoffrey said he was told the disease had returned last week – more than 20 years after he beat it after having chemotherapy and radiotherapy sessions.
The cricket legend, 83, said he hopes to avoid having radiotherapy and chemotherapy sessions, and told how he will have an operation later this month to treat his illness.
Sir Geoffrey told Telegraph Sport: “In the last few weeks I have had an MRI Scan, CT Scan, a PET Scan and two biopsies and it has now been confirmed I have throat cancer and will require an operation.
“From past experience I realise that to overcome cancer a second time I will need excellent medical treatment and quite a bit of luck and even if the operation is successful every cancer patient knows they have to live with the possibility of it returning. So I will just get on with it and hope for the best.”
Sir Geoffrey was previously diagnosed with throat cancer in 2002 at the age of 62.
As part of his treatment for tumours on his throat, Sir Geoffrey had extensive radiotherapy sessions, and he got the all clear from cancer in 2003.
The ex-sportsman spent the majority of his career playing for Yorkshire.
He also played 108 Tests for England and scored 151 first-class centuries in a 25-year career, which he retired from in 1986.
Following his playing days, he spent 14 years as a pundit on the BBC’s Test Match Special before retiring in 2020.
He had previously undergone quadruple bypass open heart surgery in 2018 ahead of his retirement.
He was also a columnist for The Telegraph from 2015 to 2017.