On November 6th, poker icon Doyle Brunson (pictured) broke some bad news with the blunt Tweet, “It was malignant. 4 times I have heard that in my life. Chilling way to start the day. Squamas cell cancer, nothing to worry about. #yeahright.”

The good news is that Squamous cell cancer is typically treatable and has a very low rate of metastasis. It is the second most common form of skin cancer and, like most other types, the biggest risk factor for the disease is frequent sun exposure. As such, it often appears on areas such as the back of the hand, ear, nose, and scalp. Less frequently, Squamous cell cancer can form in the thyroid, lung, esophagus, bladder, prostate, and genitals.

Brunson did not indicate exactly where the cancer was found, but in response to well-wishing Tweets from friends and fans, he did say that it has already been removed, which would make one assume that it was on the skin.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time Brunson has had to battle cancer. His most recent victory was early last year when his dermatologist found melanoma on his left arm. Always equipped with a sense of humor, Brunson wrote of the eight-inch scar he had from where the cancer was removed, “I’m afraid Cameron Diaz won’t make any more movies with me now.”

His most famous fight with the disease and part of the legend that is Doyle Brunson occurred 50 years ago. Just months after marrying his wife, Louise, who was already pregnant with their first child, Brunson developed a sore throat and noticed a pea-sized lump on his neck. A doctor prescribed antibiotics, but the lump grew. Just to be safe, Brunson was scheduled for surgery to have the growth removed.

Once the surgeons got Brunson on the operating table, they found, to their horror, that not only was the tumor malignant, but the cancer had also spread throughout his body. It was close to making it to the base of his brain, part of the reason why doctors gave him a prognosis of just months left to live.

“Texas Dolly” wasn’t about to give up so easily, though, as he was determined to live long enough to hold his baby. As such, he took a chance and subjected himself to a risky neck operation in order to try to slow down the advance of the cancer just enough so that he could be around for the birth of his child.

In his book “Super System 2,” Brunson described what happened during the eight-hour procedure: “At one point during my operation, my blood pressure dropped to zero, but they pulled me through. What was truly incredible was that there was no longer any trace of cancer in my system. The doctors couldn’t believe it. The impossible had happened.”

Doctors had seen spontaneous remissions happen before, but in this case, they chalked it up to a miracle.

Brunson has not posted any more updates about his health, although he was Tweeting about the U.S. Presidential election on Tuesday, so hopefully that is a sign that everything is fine right now. We’ll keep you posted with any news.

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