Corbitt, 26, was in a Perth Hospital today to have the tumour removed, a day after scoring four goals for local side Victoria Park in his last game for the year.

A member of Australia's silver medal-winning 1992 Barcelona Olympic team, Corbitt was found to have the cancer -- details of which have not been revealed -- after a routine urine sample taken by the Australian Sports Drug Agency (ASDA) on June 21 showed a foreign hormone.

He contacted Australian team doctor Tony Galvin, who explained that tumours could produce different types of hormones and ordered further testing, including ultrasound.

"Had they (ASDA) not asked for a urine sample I would have continued to live my life without knowing I have cancer before it was too late," Corbitt said today.

Former ASDA official Dr Brian Corrigan said Galvin's diagnosis hadalmost certainly saved Corbitt's life and described it as "an incredible piece of detective work."

"That's a great piece of diagnosis, especially if he (Corbitt) was completely well," Corrigan said. "For Tony Galvin to have sorted all that out, I think is a triumph, I really do, he did it extraordinarily well."

"They test him (Corbitt) for drugs and end up saving his life."

Corbitt said he was determined to beat the cancer and return to the game which saw him win national team honours at the age of 17 in 1988 and play 104 internationals up to last year, scoring 39 goals.

"As far as I'm concerned it is just another challenge I have to overcome, albeit a rather large one," he said.

"I have no doubt I will make a full recovery and will be back playing next year. Everything in my life, including my fight to win national selection, pales into insignificance alongside the battle I will have to face getting healthy again."

Corrigan suggested that Corbitt had probably returned a high TE(Testosterone-Epitestosterone) ratio in his urine sample.

The two hormones are normally produced in equal amounts in the human body and a high TE ratio can be evidence of steroid use.

Until recently a high TE ratio meant an immediate ban from competition under International Olympic Committee (IOC) guidelines.

But since the link between tumours and high TE ratios was established, the ban is not put in place until further investigations are completed, Corrigan said.