Mitchell Meyers, a defensive lineman on the Iowa State Cyclones football team, has been diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma and already began his first bout of treatment.

Iowa State University made the announcement Thursday on the Cyclones' official website. Dr. Marc Shulman, the team's physician, said Meyers would start treatment the next day.

"Mitchell's diagnosis is very treatable with a 90 percent curable rate," Shulman said in the team's statement. "He is already in the process of beginning chemotherapy treatments. More positives for Mitchell is that he is in excellent shape and he has an outstanding support system surrounding him."

Cancer treatments typically last in four months, followed by certain amount of time to allow the body to rest and then possibly another round.

"I want to thank everyone for the support and encouragement I have received. I am determined to embrace the process and fight this with a positive attitude," Mitchell said in a statement. "I have decided to stay here in Ames for my treatments so I can remain in school and be around my teammates. I have the greatest teammates in the world. It's been humbling to see their care and words of encouragement. I would love to be able to play football at Iowa State again, but right now my focus is on my health."

Meyers just finished his sophomore season and was named to the Big 12 conference's All-Academic team a second year in a row. He started out as a defensive end, but shifted to the interior to fill the team's immediate needs.

"Mitchell's immediate health is our most important concern right now," Iowa State head football coach Paul Rhoads said in the announcement. "I have no doubt that Mitchell will attack this with a positive mindset and strong determination. He also will have 100 percent support from the Iowa State football family and Cyclone Nation."