Arlen Specter’s Hodgkin’s disease has recurred

Arlen Specter’s Hodgkin’s disease returns

Sen. Arlen Specter was surprised by test results on Hodgkin’s disease because he has been “feeling so good.”
Story Highlights
Sen. Arlen Specter has “excellent chance” of achieving remission
Pennsylvania Republican will continue in Senate and in re-election campaign
Specter’s Hodgkin’s disease was originally diagnosed in 2005
Specter this year released book on his experience with cancer

Sen. Arlen Specter’s Hodgkin’s disease, which he battled in 2005, has recurred, but doctors said that its return was detected early and that Specter has an “excellent chance” of once again achieving remission, according to a statement issued Tuesday by the senator’s office.

Sen. Arlen Specter says he was surprised by test results because he has been “feeling so good.”

 Specter, 78, will continue to perform his Senate duties and conduct his campaign for re-election to a sixth term but will undergo 12 weeks of chemotherapy, the written statement said. Hodgkin’s disease is a cancer of the lymphatic system.

The recurrence was found during a routine scan, which flagged small lymph nodes in Specter’s chest and abdomen, the statement said. A follow-up biopsy of one of the chest lymph nodes was positive for recurrence, but a bone marrow biopsy was negative.

“I was surprised by the PET scan findings because I have been feeling so good,” Specter said in the statement. “I consider this just another bump in the road to a successful recovery from Hodgkin’s, from which I’ve been symptom-free for three years.”

Specter had no symptoms besides the findings in the scan, the statement said. “Based on the location of the recurrence and the absence of symptoms, his lymphoma is considered stage IIIA. This is significantly less advanced than his Hodgkin’s disease when it was originally diagnosed in 2005, when it was stage IVB.”

“Specter has an excellent chance of again achieving a complete remission of his Hodgkin’s disease,” said the senator’s oncologist, John H. Glick of the University of Pennsylvania’s Abramson Cancer Center. “Sen. Specter’s early diagnosis of his recurrent Hodgkin’s disease has a five-year survival rate of 60 percent. He is in superb physical condition, with a normal physical examination and blood work, no symptoms of disease, plays squash regularly and follows a careful diet.”

The statement from Specter’s office noted that he had successful surgery for a brain tumor in 1993. It recurred in 1996 and was successfully treated.

In 1998, during a re-election campaign, he underwent cardiac bypass surgery and suffered post-operative cardiac arrest, from which he fully recovered, the statement said.
“I’ve beaten some tough medical problems and tough political opponents, and I expect to beat this too,” Specter said. “I look forward to getting through this treatment and continuing to serve the people of Pennsylvania.”

Specter wrote a book on his experience with cancer. “Never Give In: Battling Cancer in the Senate” was released in March.