Feb. 28: Eleanor Mondale announces her brain cancer has returned

CHERYL ANN GUERRERO, Star Tribune

In 2006, Eleanor Mondale said she was enjoying life on her Prior Lake farm, after beating brain cancer in 2005.

The 48-year-old broadcaster said she will have surgery next week to remove a small tumor in her frontal lobe.

By NEAL JUSTIN, Star Tribune

Last update: June 2, 2008 - 7:35 AM

Eleanor Mondale revealed Thursday that her cancer has returned. The daughter of former Vice President Walter Mondale and co-host of a WCCO radio morning show said she'll have surgery on Wednesday to remove a small tumor in the frontal lobe of her brain, the same spot where a cancerous tumor had been discovered in 2005.

The location of the cancer is considered extremely dangerous because the frontal lobe is a highly sensitive part of the brain, serving as headquarters for one's personality.

"I assumed it would never come back," said Mondale, 48, who was told three years ago that she only had six months to live. At that time, surgery was deemed too risky, so the broadcaster went through seven weeks of radiation and chemotherapy. By 2006, the tumor had vanished.

But last month, during a routine scan, doctors detected something unusual. Mondale said that after two weeks of restless nights and nausea, it was clear to her that a tumor had come back.

Chris Moertel, a doctor who specializes in brain tumors at the University of Minnesota, said it's not unusual for a tumor to return if the original one was not surgically removed. He also noted that new technology in recent years has made brain cancer much easier to treat and offers "greater promise to our patients."

Mondale, who is taking a break from her radio show, said she told her mother this week that the news offered the second-best-case scenario.

"The best case is that there is no cancer," she said. "The second best is catching it when it's so teeny tiny."

Mondale said she's planning to go to Rochester's Mayo Clinic on Tuesday night with her family, which includes husband, musician Chan Poling. Surgery is scheduled for Wednesday morning.

Neal Justin • 612-673-7431