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Jimmy Carter Reveals His Brain Cancer Is Gone: MRI Show No Sign Of 'Original Cancer Spots Nor Any New Ones'

  • by: Alan Duke
  • (Sun, 06 Dec 2015 20:16:05 Z)

Jimmy Carter said Sunday that doctors believe his brain cancer has disappeared. The former U.S. president revealed the news at his church in Plains, Georgia, as he began teaching a Sunday School class.

Carter, 91, said he got the call this week saying the latest brain scan showed cancer "is gone." The 350 people in his class at Maranatha Baptist Church erupted in applause.

"My most recent MRI brain scan did not reveal any signs of the original cancer spots nor any new ones," Carter said in a written statement released later Sunday. "I will continue to receive regular 3-week immunotherapy treatments of pembrolizumab."

Pembrolizumab is a drug used to treat cancer that "cannot be removed by surgery or that has metastasized (spread to other parts of the body)," according to the National Cancer Institute website.

Carter announced at a news conference in August that doctors found four melanoma lesions on his brain after removing a cancerous lesion on his liver. He said he was "prepared for anything that comes." The 39th president of the United States told reporters on August 20, 2015 that he had "very small spots" on his brain.

"It is in the hands of God, whom I worship," Carter, 90, said a news conference at the Carter Center a week after revealing he was diagnosed with cancer that had spread from his liver other areas. "I've had a wonderful life. I'm ready for anything and I'm looking forward to new adventure."

The Atlanta news conference, which lasted 40 minutes, came a week after Carter released a short statement revealing his cancer diagnosis. "Recent liver surgery revealed that I have cancer that now is in other parts of my body, Carter's written statement said. "I will be rearranging my schedule as necessary so I can undergo treatment by physicians at Emory Healthcare," he said in his initial statement.

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About the author:

Editor-in-Chief Alan Duke co-founded Lead Stories after ending a 26-year career with CNN, where he mainly covered entertainment, current affairs and politics. Duke closely covered domestic terrorism cases for CNN, including the Oklahoma City federal building bombing, the UNABOMBER and search for Southeast bomber Eric Robert Rudolph. CNN moved Duke to Los Angeles in 2009 to cover the entertainment beat. Duke also co-hosted a daily podcast with former HLN host Nancy Grace, "Crime Stories with Nancy Grace" and hosted the podcast series "Stan Lee's World: His Real Life Battle with Heroes & Villains." You'll also see Duke in many news documentaries, including on the Reelz channel, CNN and HLN.

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