Former United States President Jimmy Carter has announced that his cancer is spreading.
On Monday, the 90 year old former president had a mass removed from his liver.
Carter said
“Recent liver surgery revealed that I have cancer that now is in other parts of my body. I will be rearranging my schedule as necessary so I can undergo treatment by physicians at Emory Healthcare. A more complete public statement will be made when facts are known, possibly next week,” Carter said in a statement.
Despite his cancer and age, the nations 39th president has kept himself active by founding the Carter Center.
In 2007, Carter had tests conducted for pancreatic cancer, a disease that killed his 3 siblings and parents. Throughout his battle Carter has remained relatively quiet, but the president may be nearing his end.
Dr. Robert Mayer, a gastrointestinal cancer specialist at the Dana Farber Cancer says
“This is a 90 year old gentlemen with apparent widespread disease. The goals of treatment would be his comfort. If chemo is considered it would need to take into account his age. [A] 90-year-old patient cannot tolerate the same treatment that could buy years of life for cancer patients in their 60s or 70s
Carter is most remembered for leading the boycott of the 1980 olympics in Moscow during his presidency. Carter became widely popular after starting the Carter Center in 1982. Even if the end is near for the former president his legacy shall live on.
