RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina State is planning an announcement on the status of Hall of Fame women's basketball coach Kay Yow, who has missed the past four games due to health issues related to her fight against cancer.

School spokesman Mark Kimmel said the school would have an update Tuesday afternoon.

Yow was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987, and the disease recurred in the 2004-05 season. Yow missed the game against Columbia in New York on Dec. 22 due to a low energy level, and has missed three home games since.

Yow also missed 16 games to focus on treatment two seasons ago. Associate head coach Stephanie Glance has led the program in her absence.

The Wolfpack (8-7) faces unbeaten and second-ranked North Carolina on Sunday.

Dr. Mark Graham, Yow's oncologist, said he is trying to "tweak" her treatment program to get her feeling "as well as possible." Yow has been on hormonal therapy as the disease has spread to her liver and bone.

In addition to the disease itself and its treatment, Graham said Yow isn't ready for the physical demands of being a head coach right now — everything from roaming the sideline and walking up and down stairs to locker rooms, to being at practices and team functions.

"It's a combination of all the factors together that don't allow her to do the full range of coaching activity," Graham said. "I can advise her, but all the decisions have been her own. ... At some point, she will make a decision to return or continue to postpone that based on how she feels."

Graham, who said Yow is being examined every few days, compared Yow's attitude to a golfer who "feels she needs to walk the course."

"She's foremost a teacher and this is her classro