Abby Lee Miller has been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
The ‘Dance Moms’ star has been struck with the cancer – which starts in white blood cells called lymphocytes, part of the body’s immune system – and her doctor believes she will have to undergo "chemotherapy or radiation" treatment.
Dr. Hooman M. Melamed, an orthopaedic spine surgeon at Cedar Sinai Marina Del Rey Hospital who has been treating the 51-year-old choreographer, said: "It was not an infection, it was a type of a non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma – it’s a type of a cancer.
"We’re getting an oncologist involved and we have to figure out what the next steps are as far as chemotherapy or radiation or more spine surgery. Depending on the tumour type, depending on the sensitivity of the tumour – it just depends the type but I feel more than yes, she will undergo chemotherapy or radiation."
Abby’s representative confirmed to PEOPLE magazine that she has received a "preliminary diagnosis pending pathology and oncology results".
She is said to have undergone emergency surgery in the early hours of Tuesday morning (17.04.18) after complaining of "excruciating neck pain".
Abby went under the knife for a laminectomy, an operation to remove the back of one or more vertebrae.
Dr. Melamed admitted the dance instructor would have died if she had not gone in for the op, but he feels "optimistic" following the surgery.
He said: "She’s made some recovery in 24 hours, which is better than no recovery.
"Nobody wants to end up thinking they’re going to be paralysed for the rest of their life. That’s a reality that’s facing all of these patients going into it. All you can do is pray and, as a surgeon, you maximize everything you can for the spinal cord to recover itself. I am hopeful.
"There’s a chance this can spread to any part of the body … this is probably coming from somewhere else.
"We don’t know where the source is. Any tumour that spreads anywhere is automatically Stage 4, but we have not determined the stage yet."
Abby – the founder of the Abby Lee Dance Company – appeared on reality TV series ‘Dance Moms’ for seven seasons.
Abby Lee Miller diagnosed with cancer
