Randy Moss finally has a diagnosis for the malady that kept him away from the latest episode of ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown last week.
ESPN announced that Moss, 47, was taking a leave of absence to battle an undisclosed illness last week. The Hall of Fame pass-catcher's signature segment, "You Got Mossed", was still incorporated into the broadcast's package. But his absence loomed large.
On Friday, Moss explained the source of his hiatus. Here's the latest on Moss' status going forward.
Moss took to Instagram on Thursday to reveal that he is a "cancer survivor." The former Vikings, Raiders and Patriots star disclosed that he underwent a six-hour operation on his pancreas, liver, gall bladder and bile duct -- commonly known as a Whipple procedure.
Moss had previously went under the knife on Thanksgiving to have a stent -- a "small mesh tube used to hold open passages in the body", per the National Institute of Health -- inserted into his liver. Moss detailed some of the symptoms that led to him receive his initial surgery during his Instagram Live broadcast, including discolored urine.
Moss said that his latest operation was for bile duct cancer. He'll move onto chemotherapy and radiation in the future and remains committed to returning to ESPN.
"My goal is to get back on that television with my team," Moss said.
According to NIH's National Library of Medicine, a Whipple procedure refers to a surgical operation which sees the pancreatic head, duodenum, gallbladder, and bile duct" removed to treat malignant tumors. The procedure is technically challenging and carries notable risks, from pancreatic leaks to postoperative infections. It's also regulary accompanied by gastrointestinal tract reconstruction.
The first Whipple procedure was performed by Walter Kausch in Germany in 1909. Since its inception, it has become one of the most useful surgical techniques in the world of pancreatic cancer management. Despite its ubiquity, it remains a fairly dangerous operation.