The Beastie Boys are calling off the rest of their summer tour dates and putting off the release of the anticipated Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 1 LP -- but that's bad news fans of the Beasties will likely be able to live with.

MCA (real name Adam Yauch) posted a video message on beastieboys.com earlier today, telling fans that he's been diagnosed with cancer in a salivary gland and a lymph node in his neck. As he explained in the video, the Beasties are pressing pause on their schedule while he undergoes surgery and localized radiation treatment.

"I just need to take a little time to get this in check, and then we'll release the record and play some shows," Yauch said in a statement released to Rolling Stone. "It's a pain in the neck (sorry had to say it) because I was really looking forward to playing these shows, but the doctors have made it clear that this is not the kind of thing that can be put aside to deal with later."

Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 1 was previously set for a Sept. 15 release. As for the Beasties' touring schedule, they were booked for a handful of summer festival dates, including Lollapalooza, All Points West and a stop at Montreal's Osheaga Festival August 2 (their lone Canadian stop).

As Yauch explained in the video, he'd been experiencing swollen glands for about two months, but didn't think it was more serious than a cold. Two weeks ago, he decided to see a doctor about the persistent condition, which led to the discovery of a tumour on his Parotid gland. In the video, Yauch keeps his message hopeful, saying the good news is the tumour won't affect his voice and that the cancer is treatable.

"We'll be back doing this soon," Yauch promised fans in the clip.

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