President Carter Diagnosed with Metastatic Melanoma

Although some had speculated that Jimmy Carter had liver cancer, the former President announced this week that in fact he has melanoma that was found to have spread to his liver and to his brain.

President Carter began feeling some symptoms as early as May, when he was in Guyana to help monitor an election. On returning to the states he reportedly felt like he had a bad cold, but after seeing a doctor later that month he learned that following an MRI, doctors found a suspicious mass on his liver.

Following confirmation of his cancer, the President did not immediately seek treatment. Rather, he undertook a book tour, in part because his surgeon was on vacation in Spain. On his return, surgeons removed a mass that measured 85 cubic centimeters.

The mass itself was about one tenth the size of his liver.

Following the procedure he learned that the disease had spread from elsewhere to his liver, and that the liver was not the primary site.

Specifically, four lesions were found on his brain. In addition to radiotherapy, Mr. Carter will be treated with pembrolizumab, marketed under the name Keytruda.

Cancer is in Mr. Carter's family, although not melanoma: three sisters and his mother were all diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Source: MedPage Today

The information provided on CancerTreatment.net is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. This information is solely for informational purposes and does not constitute the practice of medicine. We encourage all visitors to see a licensed physician or nutritionist if they have any concerns regarding health issues related to diet, personal image and any other topics discussed on this site. Neither the owners or employees of CancerTreatment.net nor the author(s) of site content take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading this site. Always speak with your primary health care provider before engaging in any form of self treatment. Please see our Legal Statement for further information.