ABC star James Valentine announces major cancer news after doctors told him his entire esophagus would have to be removed – and celebrates an incredible comeback

ABC presenter James Valentine returns to radio after undergoing major cancer surgery three months ago.

The ABC Radio Sydney Afternoons presenter announced in March that he had been diagnosed with cancer and would undergo surgery to remove his oesophagus in April.

The 63-year-old had a four-centimeter tumor at the point where the esophagus and stomach meet and had to undergo a highly complicated operation in which most of his esophagus and a quarter of his stomach were to be removed.

Valentine announced Monday that he would return to the air this afternoon after undergoing a different and far less invasive procedure that removed the cancer cells from his esophagus rather than the entire organ.

The radio veteran said he was on holiday ahead of his scheduled cancer surgery when he received a call from a friend telling him to speak to Professor Michael Bourke, head of gastrointestinal endoscopy at Westmead Hospital.

Dr. Bourke had told Valentine that he could remove the cancer cells through the lining of his throat and that he could perform the operation on the same day that he was scheduled to have another procedure.

“My surgeon says that based on everything he has seen and all the data and information he has, I need to have surgery (esophagectomy). The endoscopic option will work for some, but not for me,” he wrote in an article for ABC.

Valentin only had three days to make his decision.

James Valentine will return to radio on Monday after undergoing major cancer surgery three months ago

His original procedure follows the accepted protocol, but the new option has been around for decades and has shown promising results.

The radio presenter finally opted for the less invasive operation.

“There's only one order I can do it in. I can do the Westmead operation and if it fails I can still do the whole operation. It doesn't work the other way around,” he said.

“This is either the best or the worst thing I’ve ever done.”

Valentine's test results show no signs of cancer, but he will need to undergo regular scans over the next few years.

Because his esophagus is still healing, he can only eat small bites slowly, but otherwise feels normal again.

He was diagnosed in December last year after he noticed something was wrong at a friend's birthday party.

He said that after wolfing down a Massaman curry, he began to gag and vomit.

ABC radio presenter James Valentine (right) is pictured with actress Leah McLeod

His wife then recommended that he go to her sister's endoscopy clinic and have a gastroscopy, which discovered the cancer.

He underwent five weeks of chemotherapy and radiation in January before undergoing surgery in April.

Veteran television and radio presenter Tim Webster represented Valentine during his absence.