Def Leppard guitarist pulls out of tour after cancer returns

Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell is pulling out of the rock band's tour after his cancer returned.

Campbell, 52, announced two years ago that he was getting chemotherapy for Hodgkin lymphoma, which affects the lymphatic system.

He later said he was in remission.

"I'm saddened by the fact that my cancer has returned," he said in a statement Saturday. "However, I'm beyond consolation that its return will prevent me from being able to do my job for a while."

Campbell joined Def Leppard in 1992. Before that, he was in a series of other bands, including Whitesnake and Shadow King.

The band is on the North American leg of its tour, and is scheduled to perform Tuesday in Tampa, Florida.