A spokesperson at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Clinic in Houston, Texas, confirmed to MTV News that Eddie Van Halen is a patient at the clinic, but said that the guitarist does not have cancer.

Spokesperson Jane Brust told MTV News that Van Halen is currently participating in a clinical trial to prevent cancer. Brust declined to reveal what area of the body is the focus of the treatment.

While Brust declined to disclose specifics, she did state that in order to desire such treatment or be eligible for it, a patient would have to have had a specific concern or an elevated risk of the disease.

Brust also denied media reports that say the guitarist had undergone surgery at the clinic.

Sources close to Van Halen told MTV News that the guitarist had a cancerous growth removed from his tongue prior to his visit to Houston late last week, and that the condition was not thought to be life-threatening. Other sources speculate that Van Halen may have had a pre-cancerous growth.

A spokesperson for Warner Bros., the band's label, told MTV News that the company has no information on Van Halen's health.

Medical journals state that tongue cancer occurs most commonly in those who smoke. The usual treatment is removal of the growth followed by radiation therapy. Eddie Van Halen, 45, is known to be a heavy smoker.

Meanwhile, although the guitarist, who had a hip replacement late last year, is said to be relatively healthy, the same can't be said for the long-rumored reunion with original singer David Lee Roth. Sources close to Van Halen told MTV News that rumors of a pending CD or tour featuring the original lineup are false.