Tony Iommi insists he feels "OK at the moment," but the Black Sabbath guitarist has received some potentially troubling news from his doctors.

Iommi, who announced his battle with cancer had entered the remission stage in August, tells the Irish Times that a recent checkup revealed a new growth — and that even though they aren't yet sure whether it's cancerous, they aren't taking any chances.

"I went for a check four weeks ago and the doctor said that at the moment there is no activity where I had the cancer before, but there is activity in the throat," explained Iommi. "When I get back to England, I have to have an operation to remove this thing at the back of my nose."

Describing receiving his initial diagnosis as the low point of his life, Iommi admitted that his health woes fed into Black Sabbath's decision to walk away from touring after their current The End dates. "I have to live what life I’ve got," he pointed out. "I have been on the road nearly 50 years. I need to be at home more, and I need to pay more attention to my friends and family."

That said, Iommi continues to hold out hope that Sabbath could eventually come together for "the occasional one-off show" — or even get around to recording a new studio album, although he cautioned that he has no idea whether singer Ozzy Osbourne and bassist Geezer Butler share his optimism.

"We haven’t talked about it," said Iommi. "This is my view, thinking it would be nice. At the moment, I think there is a call for a bit of time off, really. I think anything is possible. It is down to how everyone feels and if people want to do it."

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