U.S. Senator from New Jersey Frank Lautenberg diagnosed with stomach cancer

Bad news, and NO i’m not cheering this news like a liberal progressive would had this same thing happened to a Republican Senator. New Jersey Real Time News reports that U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, New Jersey’s 86-year-old senior senator, was diagnosed with cancer in the stomach in the last 24 hours and will begin chemotherapy today. The one bit of somewhat good news here is that the cancer is treatable.

Lautenberg still plans to finish out his current term – his fifth in the Senate – and seek re-election in 2014.

“This doesn’t change any of that,” Lautenberg’s chief aide, Dan Katz, said of the senator’s political plans. “After he receives his treatment, back to normal.”

Moments ago, Lautenberg’s office issued a statement from the senator’s oncologist, James F. Holland, saying:

“We expect a full and complete recovery for Senator Lautenberg. The senator will be treated with chemotherapy administered approximately every three weeks. We anticipate that he will receive between six and eight treatments, and in between treatments, the senator is expected to be back at work in the Senate.”

Lautenberg took ill Monday while at home in Cliffside Park. He fell down and phoned his doctor and an ambulance. The senator directed the ambulance to transport him to Manhattan for treatment at Mount Sinai Medical Center, where he has been hospitalized ever since. Lautenberg never lost consciousness, his aides said.

Doctors quickly determined that Lautenberg had fallen due to blood loss from a bleeding ulcer. The bleeding was stopped during an endoscopy. Additional pathology tests revealed the ulcer was caused by a b-cell lymphoma of the stomach.

In recent days, Lautenberg had been in touch with his staff and was on the phone a short time ago discussing the ongoing sex scandal surrounding golf star Tiger Woods , his aides said .

This is the first time Lautenberg has been diagnosed with cancer. His last health scare occurred seven years ago when he suffered a head injury in a skiing accident.

STATEMENT FROM THE OFFICE OF SENATOR LAUTENBERG

“After several days of hospitalization and testing, Senator Lautenberg’s doctors have diagnosed that he has a B-Cell Lymphoma of the stomach. This is a curable tumor, and will require treatment over the next few months.

“The Senator is under the care of Dr. James F. Holland and Dr. Martin Goldman of Mount Sinai Medical Center.”

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February 19, 2010 · Filed Under Democrats


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