Sad news of the death of Anthony Minghella Oscar winning Director

Article was taken from the Times, it seems that Mr Minghella had tonsil cancer.


Anthony Minghella was treated for a growth on one of his tonsils.

This cancer is comparatively rare, but the outlook is normally good. Almost half the patients diagnosed with cancers of the mouth will be alive five years later.

Surgery is the normal treatment, and it carries a risk of bleeding. Even uncomplicated tonsil operations in children carry a tiny risk and this is greatly increased in larger operations where cancer is involved, because the area is rich in blood vessels. Bleeding may occur at the time of the operation or within a few hours, when it is treated by returning the patient to the operating theatre. But delayed haemorrhage a few days later can be more serious and harder to stop.