After a cancer announcement last week with few details, former president Jimmy Carter revealed today that he has melanoma that has spread to his brain.
The 90-year-old will begin radiation treatment this afternoon, reports The Los Angeles Times.
Doctors had previously found cancer on Carter's liver during a small operation Aug. 3. Now, Carter said, they've found "four spots of melanoma on my brain — small spots," per The Washington Post.
Despite this serious diagnosis, Carter told reporters he's ready to begin treatment.
“I'm perfectly at ease with whatever comes," Carter said, per the LA Times. "I'm ready for anything. I'm looking forward to a new adventure.”
Carter also told reporters that he felt fine, with just a little pain.
Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer. In Carter's case, the cancer began somewhere on his body — doctors reportedly don't yet know where it originated — and spread (metastasized) to his brain.
The Washington Post reports that melanoma is often found in the brain after it has metastasized.
Carter, the second-oldest living American president, will undergo treatment at the Winship Cancer Institute in Atlanta, according to the Post.
At his Thursday morning press conference, Carter joked with reporters and reflected on his presidency, his humanitarian efforts and his life so far.
"I think I have been as blessed as any human being in the world," Carter said, per The Washington Post. "So I'm thankful and hopeful."
