"Ultimately, the parent makes the final decision for the treatment of their child and where they receive that treatment. They do what feels best to them. Primary Children's Medical Center is a pediatric specialty hospital and provides a full range of medical specialty services for children within our service area," he said.

"Parents bring children to Primary Children's from around the country for certain conditions, just as parents bring children from here elsewhere for something else. And there are intangibles" that affect those decisions, as well, he added.

More common treatment options offered locally, Mamalis said, include surgery and chemotherapy. The chemotherapy is injected into the whole body through a vein, rather than directly into the tumor. Removal of the eye is not uncommon for retinoblastoma. But ultimately, the patient's family has to decide which course to follow.

While Fisher expressed great respect for cancer specialists in Utah, he said he felt that he didn't find "the right combination of what Tatum needed" here.

Finding a good doctor is easy, he said, but "in particular because you're dealing with twins (Tatum has a twin brother, Drew) because you're dealing with a disease that most pediatricians have no training to even spot, there are only certain pediatricians in this country that really have the ability to recognize and be aware of things that maybe other doctors would miss."

And that's not a knock at the competency level of any doctor, he said. "But these are just things that we know and that we've learned from our current doctors and the things that we've also researched."

The tumor is in one eye, Fisher said, but doctors examine both every month. She's had some chemotherapy and it's not clear if she will need more — or how much more. He told reporters that she will be watched until she's 44 months old, which is considered the high-risk period. So will Drew, who has shown no sign of retinoblastoma, although because they are twins he has an eye exam every other month.

From a Jazz fan standpoint, Mamalis said he'll miss Fisher. "I think he's been a wonderful addition to the Jazz. But it's important he make the decision that's best for his family. I wish him and his daughter the best."

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E-mail: lois@desnews.com; tbuckley@desnews.com