Specter Says His Cancer Has Returned

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) said in a statement yesterday that his cancer has returned.

The five-term senator underwent treatment for Hodgkin's disease, which is a cancer of the lymphatic system, in 2005 and was later given a clean bill of health.

Specter, 78, said yesterday that doctors diagnosed an early recurrence of Hodgkin's, revealed in a medical scan but that he has no symptoms.

"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 on the road to a successful recovery from Hodgkin's, from which I've been symptom-free for three years."

Specter, Pennsylvania's longest-serving senator, said he would continue his normal duties -- just as he did three years ago. He has already announced that he will run for reelection in 2010, and he said the cancer won't change that.

Specter had successful surgery for a brain tumor in 1993. It recurred three years later but was successfully treated. In 1998, he underwent bypass surgery and later suffered cardiac arrest.