US Senator John McCain Diagnosed with Brain Cancer
US Senator, John McCain, has been diagnosed with brain cancer, his office announced on Wednesday.
In a statement released to the media, the office of the 80-year-old Senator said that doctors discovered a brain tumour after he underwent surgery last week, for a blood clot above his left eye.
McCain was operated on at the Mayo Clinic in his hometown of Phoenix, Arizona.
“[Tests] revealed that a primary brain tumour known as a glioblastoma was associated with the blood clot,” his office said.
While glioblastoma is one of the most common types of brain tumour, doctors have said that it is also one of the most malignant. It can be treated with chemotherapy and radiation, but in most cases, it will grow back.
McCain’s office said in the statement that the Senator and his family are “reviewing treatment options”.
“He is in good spirits as he continues to recover at home with his family in Arizona. He is grateful to the doctors and staff at Mayo Clinic for their outstanding care, and is confident that any future treatment will be effective,” the statement read.
McCain has battled cancer before. He had several malignant melanomas removed from his skin in the 1990s, and had an invasive melanoma removed in 2000.
His office said that McCain will consult with his doctors to find out when he will be well enough to return to the Senate.
McCain was elected to serve a sixth senate term in November of last year, and in 2015, he was elected as the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
McCain is considered a war hero in the United States. A former US Navy Aviator, McCain’s plane was shot down over Hanoi in 1967 during the Vietnam War. He was badly injured when he parachuted out of his airplane, and was subsequently abducted by Vietnamese militia.
He was held and tortured as a prisoner of war for five years, before being released, and sent back to the United States.
First elected to the Senate in 1986, McCain has spent years representing his native state of Arizona.
After a failed run for Republican candidacy in 2000, McCain tried again in 2008, and was elected the Republican nominee. However, he lost the presidential bid to Democrat nominee, Barack Obama.
Following the news of McCain’s cancer diagnosis, many politicians issued statements expressing their support of the Senator.
“John McCain is an American hero & one of the bravest fighters I’ve ever known…Cancer doesn’t know what it’s up against. Give it hell, John [sic],” former president, Barack Obama, wrote on Twitter.
US President, Donald Trump, also sent his well wishes to McCain and his family.
“Senator John McCain has always been a fighter. Melania and I send our thoughts and prayers to Senator McCain, Cindy, and their entire family…Get well soon,” Trump said in a statement.
