Sen. John McCain has learned he has brain cancer, the Arizona lawmaker's office announced on Wednesday.
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John McCain has brain cancer, is expected to undergo treatment
McCain and his family are reviewing treatment options, which could include a combination of chemotherapy and radiation.
Sen. John McCain of Arizona in Washington on January 12.
"On Friday, July 14, Sen. John McCain underwent a procedure to remove a blood clot from above his left eye at Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix," the statement said. "Subsequent tissue pathology revealed that a primary brain tumor known as a glioblastoma was associated with the blood clot."
Before the tumor was discovered, the senator's office had suggested the blood-clot procedure might keep the senator off the job for a week, but the cancer diagnosis and forthcoming treatment could sideline McCain indefinitely.
The American Brain Tumor Association notes that glioblastomas are "usually highly malignant" and that "the cells reproduce quickly and they are supported by a large network of blood vessels."
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McCain's office said the senator was recovering from his blood-clot surgery "amazingly well." His doctors said the senator's underlying health was "excellent."
McCain, 80, the 2008 Republican presidential nominee and six-term Republican senator, is also a decorated Navy pilot who was shot down over Vietnam and held as a prisoner for 5 1/2 years.
In a statement on Twitter, McCain's daughter Meghan said: "My love for my father is boundless and like any daughter I cannot and do not wish to be in a world without him. I have faith that those days remain far away."
President Donald Trump issued this statement Tuesday night: "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."
"Cancer doesn't know what it's up against. Give it hell, John," former President Barack Obama said on Twitter. He called the senator "an American hero" and "one of the bravest fighters" he had ever known.
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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called McCain "a hero to our Conference and a hero to our country" in a statement Wednesday night. "He has never shied from a fight, and I know he will face this challenge with the same extraordinary courage that has characterized his life."
Heres the full statement from McCains office:
The office of Senator John McCain also released the following statement:
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