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Former President Jimmy Carter, announced Wednesday that recent liver surgery revealed cancer that has spread to other parts of his body. Carter said in the statement released by the Carter Center in Atlanta “I will be rearranging my schedule as necessary so I can undergo treatment by physicians at Emory Healthcare.”
Doctors said determining what treatment to pursue for the 90 year old former president’s cancer will depend on its type, its origin and factors such as age and health. According to deputy chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, the first task will be determining the origin of the cancer, which can help determine what treatment Carter may be eligible for.
Sometimes the primary site can be difficult to locate, so genetic analysis of the tumor might be done to see what mutations are driving it and what drugs might target those mutations. According to Dr. Lodovico Balducci, a specialist on treating cancer in the elderly at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa age does not preclude successful cancer treatment.
“A man 90 years old normally would have a life expectancy of two or three years, but Jimmy Carter is probably much younger than that” in terms of his function. If he tolerated liver surgery, I imagine he has a relatively good tolerance”
Doctors will determine whether the cancer is curable, in which Balducci says “is unlikely with metastatic cancer,” or if it is possible to prolong his life through surgery or other treatments. According to Balducci “Cancer in a 90-year-old is a serious problem, but that does not mean a 90-year-old cannot benefit from treatment.”
In Carter’s statement he said further information will be provided when more facts are known, “possibly next week.” Even though Carter has remained active through the years, his health has recently become the subject of speculation.
In May, he was forced to cut short an election observation visit to Guyana when he developed a bad cold. Carter wrote that being the only nonsmoker in his family “may have been what led to my longer life.”
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