Longtime Republican Sen. John McCain has been diagnosed with brain cancer, his office confirmed Wednesday.

The Arizona senator and former Republican presidential nominee is currently recovering from a July 14 operation to remove a blood clot from above his left eye, which his doctors confirmed had been caused by a “primary brain tumor known as a glioblastoma,” his office said in a statement.

McCain, who is being treated at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, is reviewing further treatment options including chemotherapy and radiation.

“The Senator’s doctors say he is recovering from his surgery ‘amazingly well’ and his underlying health is excellent,” the statement said.

McCain has repeatedly been treated for skin cancer, having had four melanomas removed: one on his shoulder in 1993; one on his left arm and one on his left temple in 2000; and one on his nose in 2002. The surgeries became a point of contention for detractors questioning his fitness as a candidate in the 2008 presidential election, though several prominent physicians pointed out at the time that the greatest risk of melanoma recurrence is in the “first few years after detection.”

Doctors surveyed by the New York Times this week said his history of melanoma could have prompted the brain scan that led to his most recent diagnosis.

McCain’s daughter, the former political commentator Meghan McCain, also issued a statement saying she and her family are living “with the anxiety about what comes next.” </s> WASHINGTON, D.C. (WSPA) – Members of CNN have reported that Senator John McCain of Arizona has been diagnosed with brain cancer as of Wednesday.

Sen. McCain recently had surgery to address a tumor in his brain, according to the CNN report.

The Mayo Clinic reported to news outlets that Sen. McCain’s cancer has been specifically diagnosed as glioblastoma.

We will update when more information becomes available. </s> Arizona Sen. John McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential nominee with a well-known maverick streak that often vexes his GOP colleagues, has been diagnosed with a brain tumor, his office said in a statement Wednesday.

The 80-year-old lawmaker has glioblastoma, an aggressive cancer, according to doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, where McCain had a blood clot removed from above his left eye last Friday. The senator and his family are reviewing further treatment, including a combination of chemotherapy and radiation.

"Subsequent tissue pathology revealed that a primary brain tumor known as a glioblastoma was associated with the blood clot," his office said in a statement.

About 20,000 people in the U.S. each year are diagnosed with a glioblastoma, a particularly aggressive type of brain tumor. The American Cancer Society puts the five-year survival rate for patients over 55 at about 4 percent.

The tumor digs tentacle-like roots into normal brain tissue. Patients fare best when surgeons can cut out all the visible tumor, which happened with McCain's tumor, according to his office. That isn't a cure; cancerous cells that aren't visible still tend to lurk, the reason McCain's doctors are considering further treatment, including chemotherapy and radiation.

It's the same type of tumor that struck McCain's close Democratic colleague in legislative battles, the late Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts.

The senator and chairman of the Armed Services Committee had been recovering at his Arizona home. His absence had forced Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to delay action on health care legislation. McCain had been slated to oversee debate of the sweeping defense policy bill in the coming weeks.

As word spread of his diagnosis, President Donald Trump, former rival Barack Obama and McCain's Senate colleagues, Republicans and Democrats, offered their prayers and support.

"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," Trump said.

Obama, who dashed McCain's dreams of the presidency, said in a tweet: "John McCain is an American hero & one of the bravest fighters I've ever known. Cancer doesn't know what it's up against. Give it hell, John."

A Navy pilot, McCain was shot down over Vietnam and held as a prisoner of war for 5½ years.

McConnell called McCain a "hero to our conference and a hero to our country. He has never shied from a fight and I know that he will face this challenge with the same extraordinary courage that has characterized his life."

 Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware said McCain "is a fighter, and I am hopeful he will once again beat the odds."

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey described McCain as "undoubtedly the toughest man in the United States Senate."

 Politics aside, McCain and Bill Clinton developed a strong friendship, and the former president said: "As he's shown his entire life, don't bet against John McCain. Best wishes to him for a swift recovery."

McCain's office disclosed the removal of the blood clot late Saturday and said the senator was awaiting pathology reports. In the past, McCain had been treated for melanoma, but a primary tumor is unrelated. Doctors said McCain is recovering from his surgery amazingly well and his underlying health is excellent.

In a statement on Twitter, his daughter, Meghan McCain, spoke of the shock of the news and the anxiety over what happens next. "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," she said.

With his irascible grin and fighter-pilot moxie, McCain was elected to the Senate from Arizona six times, but twice thwarted in seeking the presidency.

An upstart presidential bid in 2000 didn't last long. Eight years later, he fought back from the brink of defeat to win the GOP nomination, only to be overpowered by Obama. McCain chose a little-known Alaska governor as his running mate in that race, and helped turn Sarah Palin into a national political figure.

After losing to Obama in an electoral landslide, McCain returned to the Senate, determined not to be defined by a failed presidential campaign. And when Republicans took control of the Senate in 2015, McCain embraced his new job as chairman of the powerful Armed Services Committee, eager to play a big role "in defeating the forces of radical Islam that want to destroy America."

Throughout his long tenure in Congress, McCain has played his role with trademark verve, at one hearing dismissing a protester by calling out, "Get out of here, you low-life scum."

He tangled with McConnell over campaign finance, joined forces with Democrats on immigration and most recently had a very public spat with Sen. Rand Paul. McCain said the Kentucky Republican was working for Russian President Vladimir Putin after he blocked a vote on allowing Montenegro into NATO. Paul said McCain had gotten "unhinged."

In 2016, McCain stuck by Trump at times seemingly through gritted teeth — until the release a month before the election of a lewd audio in which Trump said he could kiss and grab women. Declaring that the breaking point, McCain withdrew his support and said he would write in "some good conservative Republican who's qualified to be president."

He had largely held his tongue earlier in the campaign when Trump questioned his status as a war hero by saying: "He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren't captured."

 ___

 AP Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard and writer Nancy Benac contributed to this report. </s> US Senator John McCain has discontinued medical treatment for aggressive brain cancer, his family said today.

The Vietnam war veteran and former presidential candidate announced his prognosis a year ago.

"John has surpassed expectations for his survival," the 

 family said.

They added that the disease's progression and McCain's age, 81, had led him to stop treatment for the "aggressive 

 glioblastoma."

"With his usual strength of will, he has now chosen to 

 discontinue medical treatment," the family said.

Glioblastoma is the most aggressive form of cancer affecting the brain.

In a statement, the family said: “Last summer, Senator John McCain shared with Americans the news our family already knew: he had been diagnosed with an aggressive glioplastoma, and the prognosis was serious.

“In the year since, John has surpassed expectations for his survival.

“But the progress of disease and the inexorable advance of age render their verdict.

“With his usual strength of will, he has now chosen to discontinue medical treatment.

“Our family is immensely grateful for the support and kindness of all his caregivers over the last year, and for the continuing outpouring of concern and affection from John’s many friends and associates, and the many thousands of people who are keeping him in their prayers. God bless and thank you all.” </s> Former US presidential candidate Senator John McCain has been diagnosed with a brain tumour after having a blood clot removed.

Doctors said the Arizona senator has been diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive cancer.

The 80-year-old senator and his family are reviewing further treatment, including a combination of chemotherapy and radiation.

The senator has been recovering at his Arizona home after doctors at the Mayo Clinic removed a blood clot above his left eye.

The doctors said Mr McCain is recovering from his surgery amazingly well and his underlying health is excellent.

Mr McCain was the Republican Party’s presidential nominee in 2008.

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He was a navy pilot, and was shot down over Vietnam and held as a prisoner for more than five years.

His office said: “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.

“Subsequent tissue pathology revealed that a primary brain tumour known as a glioblastoma was associated with the blood clot.”

Mr McCain’s absence from Washington had forced Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to delay action on health care legislation.

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Mr McConnell said: “John McCain is a hero to our conference and a hero to our country. He has never shied from a fight and I know that he will face this challenge with the same extraordinary courage that has characterised his life.

The entire Senate family’s prayers are with John, Cindy and his family, his staff, and the people of Arizona he represents so well.”

Mr McCain and his running mate Sarah Palin lost to Barack Obama in 2008.

Mr Obama tweeted: “John McCain is an American hero & one of the bravest fighters I’ve ever known. Cancer doesn’t know what it’s up against. Give it hell, John.” </s> Sen. John McCain has been diagnosed with brain cancer, his office said. The tumor, known as glioblastoma, was found while the 80-year-old Arizona Republican was having an operation to remove a blood clot from his eye. Glioblastoma is a highly malignant and fast-growing type of tumor, according to the American Brain Tumor Association. President Donald Trump said McCain "has always been a fighter" as other lawmakers expressed their support.

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The Morning Brief is published Mondays through Fridays. Email Morning Brief writer Melissa Chan at melissa.chan@time.com . </s> John McCain will no longer receive medical treatment for glioblastoma, the Arizona senator’s family said today. McCain announced that he was diagnosed with brain cancer last summer and has been largely absent from the Senate this year.

“John has surpassed expectations for his survival. But the progress of disease and the inexorable advance of age render their verdict. With his usual strength of will, he has now chosen to discontinue medical treatment,” the family said.

The New York Times reported, “Mr. McCain’s family has gathered in Arizona, and people close to him say his death is imminent.”

After Donald Trump’s election, McCain emerged as one of his most vocal Republican critics, lambasting the president for his more isolationist foreign policy stances and affection for Russian President Vladimir Putin. In perhaps the most dramatic legislative moment of the Trump presidency, McCain delivered the crucial 51st vote against the Republican health care bill.

Tributes from his colleagues flooded the internet Friday morning almost immediately after the family’s announcement. </s> Sen. John McCain, who has battled a deadly form of brain cancer for more than a year, is ending medical treatment, his office said in a statement Friday.

The six-term senator from Arizona and 2008 Republican presidential nominee has been battling the cancer, known as glioblastoma, from his home near Sedona since December. His family and a team of caregivers have cared for McCain, 81, ever since.

"Last summer, Senator John McCain shared with Americans the news our family already knew: he had been diagnosed with an aggressive glioblastoma, and the prognosis was serious," the statement said. "In the year since, John has surpassed expectations for his survival.

"But the progress of disease and the inexorable advance of age render their verdict. With his usual strength of will, he has now chosen to discontinue medical treatment. Our family is immensely grateful for the support and kindness of all his caregivers over the last year, and for the continuing outpouring of concern and affection from John’s many friends and associates, and the many thousands of people who are keeping him in their prayers. God bless and thank you all."

More: Meghan McCain says dad John McCain is 'hanging in'

More: Meghan McCain on her dad: 'I’m scared of America without him'

McCain has continued his Senate duties as much as he could from his family home in northern Arizona, 2,200 miles away from Washington, D.C. There, he occasionally weighed in on policy and media reports via Twitter, issued official written statements as he deems necessary and receives staff briefings.

However, McCain could not cast Senate votes by proxy or in absentia.

The senator's wife, Cindy, expressed her gratitude for those who have helped in her husband's treatment. They have been married for 37 years.

"I love my husband with all of my heart," she wrote on Twitter. "God bless everyone who has cared for my husband along this journey."

McCain's daughter, Meghan, also thanked supporters for the "love and generosity" they have shown her family over the past year.

"We could not have made it this far without you – you've given us strength to carry on."

Family and friends have visited McCain and his wife Cindy at their Arizona home, including former Vice President Joe Biden, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and other friends and associates who have worked on his various campaigns. </s> John McCain, the Arizona senator and former Republican presidential candidate, has been diagnosed with brain cancer.

A brain tumor known as a glioblastoma was removed from McCain along with a blood clot in a surgery at the Mayo Clinic on Friday, a spokesperson said on Wednesday.

McCain's office had only previously announced that the blood clot had been removed from above the 80-year-old's left eye.

The Mayo Clinic said in a statement released by McCain's office: “The senator and his family are reviewing further treatment options with his Mayo Clinic care team. Treatment options may include a combination of chemotherapy and radiation. The senator's doctors say he is recovering from his surgery 'amazingly well' and his underlying health is excellent.”

The surgery had forced McCain to stay in Arizona this week and miss votes in the Senate. It had led to a delay in the vote on the Senate Republican bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which was originally scheduled for Monday. Since the delay was announced, a sufficient number of Republican senators came forward to express their opposition to the bill and forced the majority leader, Mitch McConnell, to shelve it and instead try to push a vote on a clean repeal of the ACA.

In a statement, the Arizona senator's spokesperson said that “in the aftermath of his diagnosis, further consultations with [the] Mayo Clinic care team will indicate when he will return to the United States Senate”.

An extended absence would likely make it even more difficult for Republicans to repeal or replace the ACA, popularly known as Obamacare. Senate Republicans have a narrow 52-48 majority and, with the tie-breaking vote of Mike Pence, can only afford to lose two votes if McCain is present. His absence means that two Republican “no” votes would now sink any legislation if all 48 Democrats are unified in opposition.

McCain, who was re-elected to his sixth term in the Senate in 2016, was the Republican party's presidential nominee in 2008 and finished second to George W Bush in the 2000 GOP presidential primary. Prior to his career in politics, McCain served as an aviator in the US navy, and was held as prisoner of war for five and a half years during the Vietnam war. While being held captive by the north Vietnamese, McCain was repeatedly subjected to torture. He retired as a captain after earning a number of decorations including the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and the Distinguished Flying Cross.

The Arizona senator's illness sparked an outpouring of support from both sides of the aisle.

In a statement, Donald Trump said: “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.” Trump, who famously set off a political firestorm in 2015 by saying McCain was “not a war hero”, said earlier in the week of the Arizona senator: “We hope John McCain gets better very soon because we miss him. He's a crusty voice in Washington. Plus we need his vote. And he'll be back.”

Barack Obama, against whom McCain ran in the 2008 presidential election, tweeted: “John McCain is an American hero & one of the bravest fighters I've ever known. Cancer doesn't know what it's up against. Give it hell, John.”

Barack Obama (@BarackObama)

John McCain is an American hero & one of the bravest fighters I’ve ever known. Cancer doesn’t know what it’s up against. Give it hell, John.

July 20, 2017 

A number of McCain's colleagues in the Senate also expressed their well wishes. In a statement, Mitch McConnell said: “John McCain is a hero to our Conference and a hero to our country. He has never shied from a fight and I know that he will face this challenge with the same extraordinary courage that has characterized his life. The entire Senate family's prayers are with John, Cindy and his family, his staff, and the people of Arizona he represents so well. We all look forward to seeing this American hero again soon.”

Outside a meeting of Senate Republicans to discuss healthcare reform on Wednesday night, senator John Hoeven of North Dakota said they had learned of the diagnosis during the meeting.

“It was very emotional – almost kind of stunned disbelief,” Hoeven told reporters. Senator James Lankford, of Oklahoma, then led them in prayer.

Hoeven said the senators had received a message from McCain via South Carolina senator Lindsay Graham, a close friend. The senator told them he was eager to “get back and get to work”, Hoeven added.

Graham was visibly emotional as he recalled his conversation with McCain when he learned of the diagnosis.

“He says, 'I've been through worse',” Graham told reporters. Five minutes into the call, however, McCain wanted to talk the legislative priories, Graham said.

“God knows how this ends,” he said. “But I do know this: This disease has never had a more worthy opponent.”

In a statement, McCain's daughter Meghan said: “He is a warrior at dusk, one of the greatest Americans of our age, and the worthy heir to his father's and grandfather's name. But to me, he is something more. He is my strength, my example, my refuge, my confidante, my teacher, my rock, my hero – my Dad.” </s> Arizona Sen. John McCain, a prisoner of North Vietnam for five years who served three decades in Congress and went on to become the Republican Party’s nominee for president in 2008, died Saturday at 81.

In his last hours, McCain turned down further treatment for the brain cancer he had been battling since the diagnosis in July 2017. Doctors discovered the tumor during a medical procedure to remove a blood clot from above his left eye. He remained upbeat after the diagnosis, flying back to Washington days after surgery with a large scar visible above his eye to partake in the Senate’s health-care debate.

“I greatly appreciate the outpouring of support – unfortunately for my sparring partners in Congress, I’ll be back soon, so stand-by!” McCain tweeted upon hearing the diagnosis.

On Friday, his family issued a statement saying, “Last summer, Senator John McCain shared with Americans the news our family already knew: he had been diagnosed with an aggressive glioblastoma, and the prognosis was serious. In the year since, John has surpassed expectations for his survival. But the progress of disease and the inexorable advance of age render their verdict. They added, “With his usual strength of will, he has now chosen to discontinue medical treatment.”

In a memoir published in May, McCain wrote that he hated to leave the world, but had no complaints.

“It’s been quite a ride. I’ve known great passions, seen amazing wonders, fought in a war, and helped make peace,” McCain wrote. “I’ve lived very well and I’ve been deprived of all comforts. I’ve been as lonely as a person can be and I’ve enjoyed the company of heroes. I’ve suffered the deepest despair and experienced the highest exultation. I made a small place for myself in the story of America and the history of my times.”

McCain had not been in Washington since December, leaving a vacuum in the corridors of the Senate and the television news studios he roamed for decades.

In recent months, he was not completely quiet, however, blasting President Donald Trump in a series of tweets and statements that showed that while he was ailing he had lost none of his appetite for the political fight.

The Arizona senator repeatedly made clear that he saw Trump and his America First ideology as a departure from the values and traditions of global leadership that he saw epitomized in the United States.

McCain made it clear he did not want Trump at his funeral. Former rivals and Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush had been asked to give eulogies, according to news reports.

McCain was born in 1936 in the Panama Canal Zone, where his father was stationed in the Navy. After graduating from the Naval Academy in 1958, McCain went to Vietnam.

In 1967, his A4 Skyhawk was hit by a surface-to-air missile over Hanoi. McCain was captured by the North Vietnamese, who tortured and beat him for more than five years. He was in solitary confinement for several of those years.

“My room was fairly decent-sized – I’d say about 10 by 10,” McCain would later write. “The door was solid. There were no windows. The only ventilation came from two small holes at the top in the ceiling, about 6 inches by 4 inches. The roof was tin, and it got hot as hell in there.”

His captors offered him early release after learning his father was a notable naval officer. But McCain refused to leave before the other prisoners. He was released in 1973.

McCain’s injuries from his imprisonment were visible the rest of his life, most noticeably the restricted movement of his arms.

In 1982, McCain was elected to the House of Representatives. Only a few years later, in 1986, he won the race to replace Arizona’s conservative Sen. Barry Goldwater.

He was implicated in what became known as the Keating Five Scandal in 1989, accused with several other lawmakers of helping the owner of the Lincoln Savings and Loan, who had donated to his campaign.

He was responsible for introducing then-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to a national audience by tapping her as his running mate. The McCain-Palin ticket went on to lose the general election to Barack Obama, who became the country’s first black president.

For years, McCain declined to call his choice of Palin a mistake. But in his book, “The Restless Wave,” McCain reportedly writes that he regrets not choosing his friend, then-Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman, as his running mate, calling it “another mistake that I made.” Lieberman, the 2000 Democratic nominee for vice president, was an independent who caucused with Democrats.

After the 2008 loss, McCain returned to the Senate, embracing his role as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

McCain is survived by his wife Cindy, seven children and five grandchildren.
U.S. Senator John McCain is diagnosed with a malignant brain cancer, glioblastoma multiforme. This is his second battle with cancer, after having been successfully treated for malignant melanoma.