A growth that was surgically removed from White House press secretary Tony Snow was cancerous and the cancer has spread to his liver, the White House disclosed on Tuesday.
Snow, a colon-cancer survivor, underwent surgery on Monday at an undisclosed hospital to remove the growth from his abdomen region and all indications going into the procedure were that it was not cancerous.
”But unfortunately the growth was cancerous,” White House spokesperson Dana Perino told reporters shortly before breaking down in tears.
She said the cancer had spread to his liver and that Snow was in consultation with his doctors about starting chemotherapy.
”He said he’s going to go after this as aggressively as he can … It’s hard news for us at the White House,” said Perino.
Snow (51) had his colon removed in 2005 and underwent six months of chemotherapy. He recently passed the two-year mark since that took place and was pleased with his prospects.
The announcement was a blow to a White House that has struggled all year to gain its footing, faced with a Democratic rebellion against President George Bush’s Iraq war plan and a controversy over the firing of eight US prosecutors.
It came less than a week after Elizabeth Edwards, wife of a Democratic presidential candidate, John Edwards, announced an incurable recurrence of the cancer that struck her in 2004.
Perino said Snow was up and walking around and was very comfortable, but would decline further comment about his course of treatment until he gets more information.
Snow has been press secretary less than a year. He joined the White House in April 2006 from Fox News, where he was a commentator. — Reuters