Pitcher Back in Treatment for Cancer

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Key Takeaways

Chad Bettis' testicular cancer has metastasized, requiring chemotherapy after initial surgery.
Despite the spread, Bettis has a 90% prognosis for successful treatment and may return to baseball this season.
He stresses the importance of being attuned to one's health and acting promptly on any concerns.
Bettis and his wife are expecting their first child.

Chad Bettis, pitcher for the Colorado Rockies, has returned to treatment, stating that his testicular cancer has spread.

Colorado Rockies' pitcher Chad Bettis, after completing treatment for testicular cancer that was diagnosed in November 2016, has announced that the disease has spread.

Three months ago, after surgery to remove one testicle, Bettis declared that he was ready for spring training. But at a health checkup in mid-March, his doctor detected swollen lymph nodes and ordered a biopsy, the Washington Post reported. His treatment plan will involve chemotherapy.

Despite the disease’s spread, Bettis said that his prognosis for successful treatment is “in the 90 percent range,” and that it’s possible he could return to playing baseball this season.

“This only reinforces my belief that each of us needs to be totally in tune with our own physical health, and that taking action sooner than later when we feel like something is off can sometimes literally be the difference between life and death,” he said in the Post’s report.

At press time, Bettis and his wife were awaiting the birth of their first child.