Former US president Jimmy Carter reveals he has cancer

Former President Jimmy Carter announced today that a liver surgery has revealed the presence of cancer.

As recently as last month, Carter was speaking publicly as he released his book A Full Life. His father, both his sisters and his brother died of pancreatic cancer and his mother had pancreatic cancer as well. His mother had breast cancer, which later moved to her pancreas.

There are many different possible cancers that Carter could have, Mayer said. He predicted that medical professionals would sample tissues around the liver to update Carter’s prognosis.

It added: “Jimmy, you’re as resilient as they come, and along with the rest of America, we are rooting for you”.

Mr Carter was in the White House from 1977 to 1981.

Age by itself does not preclude successful cancer treatment, said Dr. Lodovico Balducci, a specialist on treating cancer in the elderly at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. He was defeated for re-election in 1980 by Republican Ronald Reagan.

The Georgia native will be treated at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. But he has also stirred controversy on the world stage for comments he has made about Israel and South Africa.

Obama telephoned Carter during his vacation in coastal Massachusetts.

In May, Mr Carter cut short a trip to Guyana after he took ill.

“I will be rearranging my schedule as necessary so I can undergo treatment by physicians at Emory Healthcare”, he said, promising more details on his care “when facts are known” as early as next week.

President Barack Obama released a statement about Carter’s diagnosis.

“There’s a lot we don’t know”, but the first task likely will be determining where the cancer originated, as that can help determine what treatment he may be eligible for, Lichtenfeld said.

“Dems across the country are pulling for you”, said Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz.