Doctors will continue to scan Carter’s brain and the rest of his body to ensure the disease hasn’t spread, Johnson said.
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In Aug 3 the 91-year-old Carter underwent an elective surgery to remove a mass found in his liver.
A doctor told Channel 2’s Craig Lucie today that it makes your body’s immune system basically wake up and fight the cancer cells.
“I went to the doctors this week for the second time”, Carter said in a video posted on Twitter by NBC.
Specialized radiation, immunotherapy drug have removed signs of lesions on former president’s brain. “There are still many patients with melanoma who don’t have this outcome”, said Lichtenfeld. Approximately 10,000 deaths occur from it annually. At that point, his melanoma had spread to his brain and liver. The drug goes by the name Keytruda commercially.
“Yes, these drugs are expensive, but they save a lot of lives”, Demopoulos said.
Carter’s grandson, James Carter, also confirmed that his cancer was gone.
Normally, the immune system can recognize things that shouldn’t be there, like a bacteria or virus, Shepard explained. “There’s no question it’s very positive”, Flaherty said of Carter’s scan.
The Plains mayor Boze Godwin, who was present at the church when the announcement was made said, “I had talked to him recently, and he had told us this new therapy was working really well”.
Don’t write Jimmy Carter off just yet. The former president announced the good news at a Sunday school, where the people applauded and celebrated. He seemed resigned and said that he was at ease with his potential death.
“For someone who is 90 years old, getting these sorts of therapies and doing so well, it’s pretty awesome”, said Shepard. Despite some apparently permanent debilitating side effects, ranging from chemo-induced neuropathy in both feet to a form of radiation enteritis and altered blood-cell counts, I’m incredibly lucky. “I haven’t been uncomfortable or ill after the treatments were over”.
“We’re looking at helping people live longer”, he said.
Carter smiled as people in the congregation responded with applause.
Carter, who was president from 1977 to 1981 and won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, revealed his illness in August.
Carter always starts his lessons with a brief update on his recent activities. “One hopes that by using immunotherapy the body can respond to whatever happens but cancer cells are clever and can develop workarounds for the various treatments”. There are ongoing trials in a number of other diseases, too.
“I can’t say that I was surprised”, said Dr. Len Lichtenfeld.
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Despite Carter’s condition, he continued to render public service.
