By Gretchen Keiser

At the urging of Catholic Church officials, Archbishop James P. Lyke, OFM, recently underwent examination at a New York cancer treatment center to evaluate the diagnosis he received in Atlanta.

Doctors at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York confirmed that the archbishop has metastasized kidney cancer in the lining of his right lung, and confirmed the Interferon treatment he is receiving at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta.

He returned to Atlanta June 14, after spending five days in New York, accompanied by Gerard O’Connor, his administrative assistant.

The concern expressed by officials, Archbishop Lyke said, was that “it is always good to get a second (medical) opinion” and he acquiesced, aware also that people are seeking reassurance that everything possible is being done to secure his health.

Archbishop Lyke said he found it “good news” that the treatment recommended by his Atlanta team of physicians was confirmed by Sloan-Kettering.

Interferon, an agent to strengthen his immune system, is being given to Archbishop Lyke as an outpatient on a rotating schedule of five days of treatment followed by nine days without treatment. Monday, June 15, the archbishop began his fourth cycle of Interferon treatments.

On Wednesday, June 17, his Atlanta doctors were studying tests conducted on the archbishop the previous day to determine a future course of action. The archbishop on June 16 experienced more difficulty with breathlessness and pressure in his lung. An attempt to draw fluid from the lung was unsuccessful. The tests were designed to clarify why this occurred.