Fred Thompson: Although the former senator and “Law & Order” actor has yet to officially throw his hat in the ring for the Republican nomination, he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2004. Doctors were alerted to the disease after conducting a biopsy on a small lump (approximately 3.5cm by 4cm) in his left jaw. Thompson’s lymphoma was indolent, or slow-growing, making it one of the most treatable forms of cancer, from which patients often have long periods of remission. But sadly it is rarely curable. While Thompson reportedly has no signs of the disease now, non-Hodgkins lymphoma has a high risk of recurrence. Former Democratic presidential candidate Paul E. Tsongas also suffered from the disease but was in remission during his bid for the presidency. The cancer recurred soon after President Clinton’s election, and Tsongas died from cancer-related pneumonia days before Clinton’s second inauguration. According to the American Cancer Society, non-Hodgkins lymphoma will affect more than 63,000 Americans this year and cause almost 19,000 deaths.
John McCain: During the presidential campaign in 2000, Senator McCain was diagnosed with malignant melanomas on both his arm and his temple. He also had a cancerous mole cut out in 1999 and has had several basal cell carcinomas, the most common and easily treated form of skin cancer, removed. “As part of my misspent youth I spent too much time in the sun, and every few months I have to go and have some basal cell removed from my own craggy features,” McCain said in 2000. His wife Cindy recalled that the worst part of the cancer diagnosis was that their daughter, 16 at the time, heard about her father’s condition on CNN, and called her parents anxious and crying. Around 60,000 new cases of melanoma are reported each year.
Rudy Giuliani: The former New York mayor, whose father died of prostate cancer in 1981, waged and won a very public battle against the disease in 2000. He dropped out of his Senate race against Hillary Clinton to concentrate on his treatment. He opted not to have his prostate removed, which is a more common course but can result in impotence or incontinence, and began his treatment with hormone therapy, which gave him menopause-like hot flashes. He then had 90 tiny radioactive palladium pellets implanted in his prostate and underwent five weeks of radiation treatments. He was warned to steer clear of children under two and to stay at least three feet away from pregnant women while the pellets worked their magic.
Sam Brownback: In 1995, the Kansas senator discovered an unusual bump on his side. It turned out to be a large melanoma that required two surgeries to remove. The experience was a spiritual awakening of sorts for Brownback, affirming his already strong faith. On several occasions he has recounted the story of how cancer prompted him to burn a copy of his résumé and vow to act as a better Christian, claiming he was unsatisfied with his life’s accomplishments.
John Edwards: The former senator’s wife, Elizabeth, first noticed a large lump in her breast in the weeks leading up to the 2004 presidential election. She was diagnosed with breast cancer days before the election, but refrained from announcing it until after the votes had been cast. Although her initial treatment appeared successful, in March, Mrs. Edwards, 57, revealed that the cancer had returned, this time spreading to her bones. The Edwards campaign has been candid about her condition, admitting that she is unlikely to survive this battle.
Barack Obama: The Illinois senator’s mother died of ovarian cancer at age 53, six months after being diagnosed with the disease. Ovarian cancer has a high mortality rate, as it is often not detected in the early stages. Around 15,000 American women are likely to die of the condition this year. Obama has referred to his mother’s disease numerous times during the campaign as an example of the need for changes to America’s health-care system. He says she was between jobs when she was diagnosed and, due to the cost of treatment, worried during her final months about being left with nothing if she survived.
Mike Huckabee: Janet Huckabee, wife of the former Arkansas governor, had spinal cancer, a rare form of the disease, as a 19-year-old newlywed. After she underwent surgery and radiation therapy, doctors feared she would never walk again. But she pulled through admirably and has since run two marathons.
Hillary Clinton: Former president Bill Clinton’s flamboyant mother, Virginia Kelley, died of breast cancer in Hot Springs, Ark., in January 1994, during her son’s first term as president. She was 70. Bill too had a brush with cancer: he had a basal cell carcinoma removed from his back in 2001. Basal cell carcinomas rarely spread and are not considered as serious a form of skin cancer as melanoma.
