Jimmy Carter to undergo treatment for brain cancer

Washington: Former President Jimmy Carter said he has melanoma in his brain, and that he will receive radiation treatment for the cancer beginning on Thursday while scaling back work for his philanthropic foundation.

“They had a very high suspicion then and now that the melanoma started somewhere else on my body and spread to my liver,” Carter, 90, told reporters on Thursday at the Carter Center in Atlanta. He will undergo four treatments scheduled a three-week intervals, he said.

The cancer was discovered during liver surgery on 3 August, Carter said in an 12 August statement. He said he would re-arrange his schedule to undergo treatment at Emory Healthcare in Atlanta.

“I’m going to cut back fairly dramatically on my obligations,” Carter said. “The Carter Center is well prepared to continue on without any handicap.”

Elected in 1976, the 39th US president may be better known for his accomplishments after his single term, which was beset by domestic woes including high inflation and turmoil in the Middle East. In the midst of a hostage crisis in Iran, he was defeated for re-election in 1980 by Republican Ronald Reagan.

During the longest ex-presidency in US history, Carter has advocated through his eponymous foundation for peaceful elections, human rights and disease prevention in more than 40 countries. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

Carter’s father, brother and two sisters all died of pancreatic cancer. His mother also had the disease.

The one-time peanut farmer lives in Plains, Georgia, with his wife Rosalynn Carter. He teaches Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church and will lead his class as scheduled on Sunday, according to the church.

Since announcing his disease last week, Carter has taken calls from both President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. Bloomberg