Former U.S Republican Party Presidential Aspirant Senator John McCain revealed Wednesday that he has a primary brain tumor. The cancer was discovered during cranial surgery last week to remove a blood clot above his left eye.
In a statement from Mayo Clinic, McCain’s doctors described the tumor as a glioblastoma.
Glioblastoma tumors are typically malignant and difficult to treat because they contain so many types of cells, according to the American Brain Tumor Association.
“It’s a very aggressive tumor,” said Dr. Joseph Zabramski, a neurosurgeon at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix not involved in McCain’s treatment. “In general, it is a tumor that has relentless force. You can slow it down but not stop it.”
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The median survival rate for the most common type of glioblastoma is 14.6 months, according to the American Brain Tumor Association. About 30% of patients live two years with glioblastomas.
The 80-year-old McCain, R-Ariz., is reviewing treatment options with his family. Those could include a combination of chemotherapy and radiation, according to the Mayo statement.
McCain, a retired naval aviator, was first elected to Congress in 1982, succeeding the retiring former U.S. House Minority Leader John Rhodes, R-Ariz. In 1986, McCain ran for and won the Senate seat vacated by the retiring U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater, R-Ariz., and was re-elected in 1992, 1998, 2004, 2010 and 2016.
He first ran for president in 2000, coming up short in the GOP primaries against then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush. In 2008, McCain secured the GOP nomination but lost to Democrat Barack Obama in the general election.
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