By the Associated Press
5/24/2008
"American Idol" contestant Luke Menard, who made it into the show's top 16 this season, has been diagnosed with cancer of the immune system.
The Crawfordsville, Ind., native was diagnosed Tuesday at a Los Angeles hospital with Hodgkin's lymphoma, said Nancy Oeswein, an agent for Chapter 6, Menard's a capella singing group.
"He has a great sense of humor, great family, he'll be fine," Oeswein said of the 29-year-old Menard, who was voted off "Idol" on March 6.
During his run on the show, Menard sang "Everybody's Talkin'," "Killer Queen" and "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go."
Hodgkin's lymphoma is a highly treatable cancer with the potential for full recovery. As many as 95 percent of patients with stage I or stage II Hodgkin's disease survive for five years or more with treatment, according to the Mayo Clinic's Web site.
Treatment options include radiation, chemotherapy or a bone marrow transplant.
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