The Brief

PHOENIX - Michael, a 38-year-old Phoenix Zoo orangutan, is recovering after undergoing a second surgery to remove a rare type of cancer.

What they're saying:

Several months ago, zookeepers noticed a small skin mass near Michael's armpit that was growing. In June, the mass was removed for testing, where apocrine carcinoma, or cancer of the sweat glands, was diagnosed, the zoo said in a news release .

The zoo says it was the first documented case of this type of cancer in an orangutan.

Michael underwent a second surgery on Aug. 14 after testing showed that the first surgery did not remove all the cancer cells.

"During the operation, surgeons removed additional tissue around the tumor site to ensure clear margins and injected tracer dye to track lymphatic drainage," zo

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