Steven Tyler, frontman for veteran rockers Aerosmith, will undergo surgery this week for an undisclosed throat ailment that has plagued him since early March, according to the band's publicist.

As a result, the band has canceled the last eight shows of its 2006 tour, including Wednesday's (March 22) show in Des Moines, Iowa.

"Despite Aerosmith's desire to keep the tour going as long as possible, Tyler's doctors advised him not to continue performing to give his voice time to recover," the band's publicist said in a press statement released late Monday. "Tyler will be on total vocal rest ... for an extended period of time."

The publicist, Marcee Rondan of MSO, told MTV News that rumors claiming that Tyler has throat cancer are "completely untrue" and she declined requests to elaborate on Tyler's throat condition.

Aerosmith had canceled eight shows prior to making the announcement, making a total of 16 canceled gigs. Concerts in Pensacola, Florida, and Lexington, Kentucky, were axed shortly before the band was scheduled to go on.

Tyler's throat condition has forced the cancellation of several other shows in 2001 and 2004 (see [article id="1488466"]"Steven Tyler's Throat Leaves Aerosmith Singin' The Blues"[/article]).

Aerosmith had been on the road since October supporting their recent album and DVD, Rockin' the Joint (Live at the Hard Rock Hotel Las Vegas).