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McCain diagnosed with skin cancer
17/08/2000 09:57 - (SA)
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| Arizona Senator John McCain |
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Los Angeles - Arizona Senator John McCain, the former Vietnam prisoner of war who
gave Republican nominee George W Bush a stiff challenge, has been
diagnosed with a second bout of melanoma, the most dangerous form
of skin cancer.
"During a routine examination two unrelated spots were discovered
on Senator John McCain. One on his left temple, the other on his left
arm. The spots were confirmed to be melanomas," said a statement
issued on Wednesday by his office.
McCain, who turns 64 on 29 August, planned a news conference on Friday to
discuss his medical condition, advisers said. They added that the
senator doesn't know whether the cancer has spread, but will see
doctors on Thursday and Friday to review his treatment options.
A senior adviser said McCain expects to undergo surgery because
that is the traditional treatment for melanoma. He had surgery in
1993 when he first had skin cancer.
This adviser said McCain has canceled campaign appearances this
weekend, but will appear on Monday in Ohio on behalf of a
congressional candidate.
The news of his cancer comes just a few days after he toured the
Northwest with Bush.
"I can assure you he's in wonderful spirits. Beyond that, I can't
tell you anything," said Deb Gullett, a former McCain staffer and
longtime friend.
During his presidential campaign, McCain released hundreds of pages
of medical records that detailed the lingering effects of injuries
suffered in a Vietnam prisoner of war camp. The records also showed
that in December 1993, McCain had a cancerous mole removed from his
shoulder that proved to be melanoma, the most dangerous form of
skin cancer.
John Eckstein, McCain's longtime personal physician in Arizona,
said at the time that McCain was cured of the cancer.
The records said McCain regularly has suspicious skin lesions or
moles removed - often basal cell carcinoma, the least aggressive
and most common type of skin cancer.
Melanoma is the most lethal form of skin cancer. When discovered
early, it is highly curable. But it is a very aggressive kind of
cancer - tumours can double in size every month - and it can spread
quickly to other parts of the body.
In addition, once melanoma returns in a patient already treated,
treatment is more difficult. Finding melanoma in two different
places, such as in McCain's case, suggests the possibility of a
more advanced stage of the disease. Those patients often turn to
clinical trials of experimental therapies.
Because McCain has had close medical scrutiny since his first bout
with melanoma, the disease probably was caught early enough to be
treatable, said Dr Charles McDonald, past president of the
American Cancer Society. - Sapa-AP
- SAPA
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