Should Thompson get into the race, he’ll be the third GOP candidate with a history of cancer, in a campaign where age and health are increasingly prominent issues. John McCain underwent surgery for skin cancer in 2000; Rudy Giuliani is a prostate-cancer survivor. According to their campaigns, both men undergo regular medical checkups to make sure their cancer has not returned. McCain, who turns 71 this year, plans to combat criticism that he’s too old for the job by letting reporters see his medical records in coming weeks, while an aide says Giuliani plans to do the same thing by the end of the year. Thompson released a statement from his doctor detailing his condition. “It’s not a big deal,” Thompson said of his fight with cancer. “But other people have a right to look at it and weigh it.”
