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Arlen Specter cancer returns: Senator faces another bout with illness

August 28, 2012 - 11:30 am
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PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Former U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania says he is fighting cancer again.

© 2006 by Kyle Cassidy, used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license.

The 82-year-old Specter said in a brief statement sent Tuesday by his Philadelphia office that he is battling the disease again.

In it, the longtime-Republican-turned-Democrat calls his cancer "another battle I intend to win. I'm grateful for all the well wishes I've received. I'm looking forward to getting back to work, to the comedy stage, to the squash court and to the ballpark."

He did not provide details of his illness, but he has twice overcome bouts with Hodgkin's disease, a cancer of the lymphatic system.

Specter was Pennsylvania's longest-serving senator. His 30-year career ended after he switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party and lost the Democratic primary in 2010.

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