Sen. John McCain, 80, has been diagnosed with brain cancer.
A primary glioblastoma, a type of brain tumor, was discovered after the Republican senator underwent surgery to remove a blood clot on Friday at Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona.
According to the American Brain Tumor Association, a primary glioblastoma is a “very aggressive” tumor “because the cells reproduce quickly and they are supported by a large network of blood vessels.”
McCain's office released the following statement on Wednesday:
Senator McCain appreciates the outpouring of support he has received over the last few days. He is in good spirits as he continues to recover at home with his family in Arizona. He is grateful to the doctors and staff at Mayo Clinic for their outstanding care, and is confident that any future treatment will be effective.
"Further consultations with Senator McCain's Mayo Clinic care team will indicate when he will return to the United States Senate," his office noted.
The Mayo Clinic also issued a statement on Wednesday, saying that McCain is recovering "amazingly well."
The statement also indicates that “scanning done since the procedure (a minimally invasive craniotomy with an eyebrow incision) shows that the tissue of concern was completely resected by imaging criteria," or cut out.
McCain's doctors told CNN that he showed no neurological problems before or after the operation.
He and his family are now considering treatment options, which may include a combination of radiation and chemotherapy, the Mayo Clinic said in its statement.
His daughter Meghan McCain tweeted on Wednesday a statement on behalf of her family:
“The news of my father’s illness has affected everyone one of us in the McCain family,” the statement reads. “It won’t surprise you to learn that in all this, the one of us who is most confident and clam is my father.”
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