Jimmy Carter responding to cancer treatment, no 'new malignancy' found

Carter (above) recently had a tumour from his liver removed, only to find four melanoma spots on his brain. REUTERS

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Doctors believe 91-year-old former president Jimmy Carter is responding well to cancer treatment and have found no evidence of a new growth, aides said Tuesday.

In a statement, the Carter Centre said the 39th president "has received good news" from physicians carrying out radiation treatment.

"They tell him that recent tests have shown there is no evidence of new malignancy, and his original problem is responding well to treatment," said spokeswoman Deanna Congileo.

The Nobel peace laureate and global humanitarian recently had a tumor from his liver removed, only to find four melanoma spots on his brain.

The Georgia native is being treated at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, where tests are expected to continue.

The former Democratic president won plaudits when he discussed his illness publicly in August, sounding serene and in high spirits, smiling often and joking with reporters in a thick Georgia drawl.

"You know, I have had a wonderful life. I have got thousands of friends and I have had an exciting and adventurous and gratifying existence," Carter said.

Several of Carter's relatives died of pancreatic cancer, but that tends to show up earlier in life.

Carter, a onetime peanut farmer, served one term in office from 1977 to 1981.

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