Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards vowed to continue his campaign Thursday as his wife receives treatment for a recurrence of cancer.
Elizabeth Edwards, 57, was first diagnosed with breast cancer at the end of her husband’s campaign for vice president on the Democratic ticket in the fall of 2004. She wrote a book, “Saving Graces,” about her experiences after doctors told her she had been restored to good health.
But tests now show “her cancer is back” and has spread into her bones, Edwards told reporters at a gathering in a garden- like setting in Chapel Hill, N.C. “It is no longer curable, … but it is treatable.
“We are very optimistic about this. Having been through some struggles together in the past, we know the key is to keep your head up, keep moving and keep strong,” he said.
The latest indication of potential trouble came when Elizabeth Edwards went to her doctor Monday, after injuring her back and left side while unpacking in the family’s new home. She was asked to return to the doctor for further tests after X-rays showed a suspicious mass.
Edwards canceled a political event in Iowa to return to their home in North Carolina and consult with doctors Wednesday, but he will now return to the campaign trail.
“The campaign goes on. The campaign goes on strongly,” Edwards said. “You have a choice: You can go cower in the corner and hide, or you can be tough and go out there and stand up for what you believe in.
“We have no intention of cowering in the corner,” Edwards said.
In 2004, Elizabeth Edwards was diagnosed with invasive ductal cancer, the most common type of breast cancer, according to The Associated Press, and received surgical, radiation and chemotherapy treatment.
Her husband is considered a “top tier” candidate for the Democratic nomination, running in national polls behind Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois, and at the top of the pack in some polls in Iowa. Edwards, the only Southerner in the race, has been running a campaign known for its economic populism and detailed stands on issues such as poverty and health care.
Elizabeth Edwards said she gave no thought to asking her husband to suspend his campaign.
“I am immensely proud of John’s campaign,” she said. “It’s unbelievably important that we get this election right. … There is nobody offering the people of this country a more positive and delineated vision of where we can go. … I can’t deprive them of that.”
About one-third of breast cancer patients have disease that has metastasized, or spread, from the original location, typically to bones. Cancer metastases are difficult to cure because surgery is no longer an option once the disease has spread beyond its original confined location, doctors say.
Experts cautioned that it is difficult to predict treatment and outcome for Edwards because the details of her tumor have not been made public.
The treatment is individualized, depending on the unique characteristics of the patient’s tumors. It can be as minimal as a pill to block estrogen, a hormone that contributes to the growth of many breast cancers.
If the cancer has spread more widely, Edwards’ physician is likely to be more aggressive, using drugs such as Xeloda – an oral drug that blocks an enzyme needed by tumors – or one of the taxane drugs, such as paclitaxel or docetaxel.
Those drugs must be given intravenously and have stronger side effects.
