New Treatment Options Being Used For President Carter’s Cancer

A cancer expert says there are some new treatment options for the type of cancer President Carter is battling.

Dr. Dale Shepard is an oncologist at the Cleveland Clinic and says Carter will receive immunotherapy which destroys cancer cells by stimulating the patient's own immune system.

The 90-year-old Carter announced he has four spots of melanoma on his brain and in addition to immunotherapy, he will begin radiation treatments immediately.

Shepard says despite Carter's age, a lot of the therapies are very well tolerated and the former president should have "a relatively good outcome." He noted Carter's cancer is incurable but treatments can impact the size of tumors and help patients live longer.

Shepard said doctors are seeing more cases of skin cancer and people should take precautions like using sunscreen and having abnormal skin lesions checked out.  (Metro Networks Inc.)