Former US president Jimmy Carter reveals he has cancer

By The Guardian

Carter, 90, says recent liver surgery revealed ‘cancer that is now in other parts of my body’ and promised more details ‘when facts are known’

Former president Jimmy Carter says recent surgery has revealed that he has cancer.

The 90-year-old Georgia Democrat underwent liver surgery last week at Emory University hospital in Atlanta, during which doctors discovered “cancer that is now in other parts of my body”, he said in a statement on Wednesday.

“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.

The statement makes clear that Carter’s cancer is widely spread, but not where it originated, or even if that is known at this point. The liver is often a place where cancer spreads and less commonly is the primary source of it.

Carter was America’s 39th president. He was in office from 1977 to 1981, before being defeated for re-election by Ronald Reagan. After leaving the White House, he founded the center in Atlanta in 1982 to promote healthcare, democracy and other issues globally.

He has remained active for the center in recent years, making public appearances at its headquarters in Atlanta and traveling overseas including a May election observation visit to Guyana cut short when Carter developed a bad cold.

Carter Center spokeswoman Deanna Congileo called the surgery earlier this month “elective” and said Carter’s prognosis is excellent for a full recovery. She declined to answer further questions at the time.