Tony Gwynn has cancer in salivary gland

SAN DIEGO - Hall of Fame outfielder Tony Gwynn says he has cancer in a salivary gland. He said the cancer was discovered last month and he faces seven to eight weeks of treatment.

"The doctors have told me they feel they caught the cancer early and there was not much of it there," he said in a story published yesterday.

The parotid cancer was diagnosed after the former Padres star had a third round of surgery since 1997 to remove a tumor on the parotid gland. The previous procedures found no malignancies.

The 50-year-old Gwynn, an eight-time National League batting champion and .338 career hitter, is San Diego State's baseball coach, and the school confirmed Gwynn's condition to The Associated Press. Gwynn plans to return to his alma mater, which he has coached since 2003.

"They say this is a slow moving but aggressive form of cancer," Gwynn said. "I'm going to be aggressive and not slow moving in treating this." Gwynn said he was concerned the cancer could be linked to his career-long practice of using chewing tobacco.- AP