Wallaby flyhalf Stephen Larkham has had a reality check with his rugby career after he underwent weekend surgery to remove a melanoma behind a knee.
The 30-year-old Test star faces an anxious week as he waits to find out whether all the malignant growth has been removed from behind his left knee.
Larkham will miss up to three of the ACT Brumbies’ next Super 12 matches after weekend surgery to remove the melanoma.
He was diagnosed with a malignant cancer on his left leg four weeks ago.
”Playing football wasn’t really the main concern, it would have been life,” Larkham said on Monday. ”The concern was making sure I survived.”
Larkham underwent surgery after playing in Friday’s 22-19 win over the Western Stormers, while his Brumbies teammates flew to South Africa for Saturday’s next game with the Golden Cats in Johannesburg.
He said he first noticed the mole at the back of his knee in the lead-up to the 2003 World Cup but it wasn’t until a couple of months ago he realised it had grown and changed shape.
His doctor ordered a biopsy and he was referred to a skin-cancer specialist, who carried out surgery to remove the cancer.
”Because the mole is in the very early stages of melanoma, the chances of it spreading are very small and we still have to await some results,” Larkham said. ”But I’m certainly very confident that it hasn’t spread.”
Doctors rate Larkham’s chance of a full recovery as good because the cancer was detected early.
Larkham said he expects to be back for the Brumbies’ encounter with the Otago Highlanders in Dunedin on April 8.
”I’m hoping to be back in a month, there’s a fair amount of stitches in the back of my leg and because it’s on the crease, it’s going to take a little bit longer to heal and there’s probably no reason to push it at this stage,” he said.
The Brumbies, who are unbeaten after three games this season, welcome back Matt Giteau (broken hand) from injury this week, the playmaker to take over at number 10 for Larkham.
Larkham said he will undergo checks for skin cancer every six months for the rest of his life. — Sapa-AFP