National PostDigital Access | Sign in / Register


Blackwell on Health: Could Joe Frazier have been saved?

More from Tom Blackwell | @tomblackwellNP

Joe Frazier in 2001

Could Joe Frazier have been saved from liver cancer?

Joe Frazier might still be alive today if the boxing great had been screened regularly for liver cancer, something that might have made sense given his occupation, suggests a Canadian doctor.

Frazier was diagnosed with liver cancer in September and died Monday, at age 67. Given advances in treatment, though, his chances of survival would have been far greater had he been diagnosed earlier, says Dr.Morris Sherman, chair of the Canadian Liver Foundation.

Hepatitis B is the main risk factor for liver cancer and people who have had the virus are recommended for twice-yearly ultrasounds that can detect the malignancy at an early stage. Why is that relevant to Frazier, and other boxers?

Hepatitis is a blood-borne disease and, well, pugilists run a high risk of exchanging the fluid as they pummel and clutch each other in the ring. In fact, Mr. Frazier and George Chuvalo appeared at a Liver Foundation event in 2006 – the 40th anniversary of their Madison Square Gardens bout – to help raise awareness about hepatitis. Still, it is not know if Mr. Frazier ever contracted the virus.

Said Dr. Sherman in a statement issued by the foundation:

Athletes in contact sports are at risk of contracting hepatitis B or C because they may be exposed to infected blood. When Joe Frazier was in the ring, no one was testing boxers, let alone any other athlete, for these types of viruses. Today, fights can be canceled if one of the boxers tests positive for hepatitis B or C.

Topics: , , ,

Health Videos

Patient Diaries

Rare disease sufferers fight for support in the face of stigma




Psoriasis patient emerges from decades of suffering


Crohn’s patient endures long journey toward stable health


Medication and optimism allow rheumatoid arthritis sufferer to live a full life

Completing an Ironman triathlon is an ambitious goal for any athlete.

Sponsored by