Monkees Star Battles Cancer

Peter Tork isn’t monkeying around with his health.

The erstwhile Monkee has been diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma, a rare form of head and neck cancer, and underwent surgery to remove the growth on his tongue on Wednesday.

“It’s a bad news, good news situation,” the “I’m a Believer” artist said. “It’s so rare a combination that there isn’t a lot of experience among the medical community about this particular combination.

“On the other hand, the type of cancer it is, nevermind the location, is somewhat well known, and the prognosis, I’m told, is good.”

Even better news is that a biopsy has shown that the slow-growing cancer has thankfully not spread beyond its initial site.

Once Tork has recovered from the surgery, he is expected to begin a round of radiation treatment.