Hall of Fame Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly’s oral cancer has returned, his surgeon, Dr. Thom Loree at Erie County Medical Center, announced in a statement.

“Jim Kelly came to ECMC this week for continued testing related to his oral surgery. Unfortunately, it has been determined that his cancer has returned. Our team of head and neck cancer specialists is determining a course of treatment that will allow Mr. Kelly to battle this cancer successfully. Mr. Kelly has asked that you keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers,” read the statement from Loree, the head and neck surgeon and clinical director of plastic and reconstructive surgery at ECMC’s Center for Oncology Care.

Thanks Mak.

I believe he is having surgery today.

There's been a lot that has been said so we thought it would be best to clarify.
At this point and time surgery is not the best option for Jim.
Because of complexity and aggressive nature of this cancer and after more scans and tests, the plan has changed.

At this point, Jim will not be having surgery. The cancer is in areas that surgery cannot successfully eradicate. Therefore, the medical specialists here in NYC along with our Buffalo team believe that chemotherapy and radiation are the best option.

I know.

This is the worst news one could get in this situation. I am fearful that the Bills home opener this year will be a double memorial service as well

Doctors have changed their plan of attack on Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly’s oral cancer, calling off his surgery and choosing to focus on chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

Jill Kelly, who wrote earlier this week on her blog that surgery in New York City was planned for Thursday because cancer that was diagnosed last spring was “back, aggressive and starting to spread,” wrote Wednesday on Facebook “the cancer is in areas that surgery cannot successfully eradicate.”

In a press release, Lenox Hill Hospital added that Kelly’s cancer is “in a location that requires specialized expertise in the treatment of skull-based tumors.” Dr. Peter Constantino, executive director of the hospital’s New York Head and Neck Institute, said in the release that “Jim Kelly’s condition remains very treatable and potentially curable. Our immediate focus is on controlling his pain and beginning the process of eradicating the cancer.”

Radiation and chemotherapy treatments for sinus cancer have taken away Jim Kelly's hair and he's dropped 51 pounds, but the former Buffalo Bills quarterback hasn't lost his sense of humor.

He's scheduled to have an MRI in the middle of August to determine how well the treatments have worked.

"The best thing for me is when I'm up in the morning and I'm eating my breakfast through my tube to see my daughters and my wife walk out and to see the smiles that are always on their faces every single morning. That's what I need," Kelly said. "When you've had family support like I've had and public support like I've had there's no way that I'm not going to beat this because a lot of it's mental."

Asked if he's afraid of dying, Kelly smiled and said he is not.

"If it's my turn, if the good Lord decides that 55 is my age, so what. I'll be going to see my son (Hunter) a little earlier than I thought I was going to. But the key for me is I know I have a lot more to do, a lot more lives to change and a lot of people out there are going to change my life. I'm still a long ways away (from dying), I hope and pray."

Dan the Man has visited with Jim Kelly. Notice the last line from Jill Kelly: The only Dolphin we love!

Jim Kelly continues to deal with health problems
Posted by Michael David Smith on November 2, 2014, 6:06 AM EST
jimkelly AP

Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly announced two months ago that he’s now cancer-free, but he continues to deal with health problems.

Kelly, the former Miami Hurricane who was honored by his alma mater on Saturday, told the Miami Herald that he still needs to use a feeding tube. Kelly, who had cancerous tumors in his jaw and nasal cavity removed, has recently been dealing with a staph infection.

“I came down with MRSA,” he told the Miami Herald. “I was cleared in September of the cancer — I have another MRI in two weeks. The toughest part for me was I was almost ready to take out my feeding tube, I was feeling good and they said they need to do some biopsies. Those 12 biopsies put me back so far.”

Kelly added that he then had surgery “to shave some of the bone down so the biopsies can heal over.”

Despite his continued health problems, Kelly said he’s optimistic about his long-term prognosis, and keeping his spirits up.