Mike the Tiger VI Readied for Cancer Treatment in Baton Rouge

LSU's live mascot Mike VI was taken to Mary Bird Perkins - Our Lady of the Lake Center yesterday to begin cancer treatment. He is receiving radiation treatment simulation for his treatment of spindle cell sarcoma.

LSU School of Veterinary Medicine say the simulation will help the cancer team create devices that will be used to position Mike into a CT scanner to map the images of the tumor. This will help doctors accurately pinpoint the location of the tumor and assist them in administering treatment.

The treatment will not cure the tiger but it will extend his life and let him live more comfortably with the cancer.

Officials say without treatment Mike VI could live another 1-2 months. With treatment, his life may be extended by 1-2 years.

Mike VI is 10 years old and has lived at LSU since he was 2 years old. The average lifespan of a tiger in the wild is about 10 years. In captivity it is longer, as much as 18 years. Mike V died at 17 due to renal failure.