Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) Has Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer
NOBLES: Legendary civil rights icon and veteran Georgia Congressman John Lewis shocked the world with his stunning announcement Sunday that he's been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. The 70-year-old congressman said he's in the biggest battle of his life, but he will not resign from office. He was diagnosed following a routine medical visit and will undergo treatment. Former President's Barack Obama and Bill Clinton along with countless others have expressed an overwhelming amount of support and prayers. Elizabeth Cohen, senior CNN medical correspondent, joins me now. Elizabeth, pancreatic cancer has been the third-leading cause of death from cancer in the U.S. Lewis is 79. What does a diagnosis like this mean for someone of his age?</s>ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Ryan, this is a difficult diagnosis. And age makes it worse, but it's a difficult diagnosis for anyone. Let's take a look at what the statistics tell us. We know that Representative Lewis has stage 4 pancreatic cancer. That's the most advanced stage. He's shared that with everyone. The average survival for someone with this cancer is only one year after nose is. Stage four means it's spread to other parts of the body. Sometimes to the lungs, the bones, the liver. This is a difficult diagnosis. The treatment for it can be difficult to endure. But the representatives have said that he, god willing, will be back on the front lines to fight.</s>NOBLES: Cancer disproportionately affects African-Americans. Do we know why that is?</s>COHEN: You know, the statistics are consistent across various kind of cancers. African-Americans are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer and less likely to be successfully treated. There are many reasons. Sometimes it's genetic, for example, with prostate cancer or triple negative breast cancer, genetics plays a role. Economics play a role. When you don't have access to care, that means you're going to have a worse outcome. There's evidence that doctors can have racial biases. The care they're going to get is not going to be as good. All those factors put together lead to those statistics. The good news, the disparities, the differences between white people and black people, they're getting less significant the difference is getting smaller. That's a good thing.</s>NOBLES: The congressman mentioned that recent medical advanced have made this cancer treatable. Tell us about those advances.</s>COHEN: About 10 years ago, you came up with a new chemotherapy. It did improve survival. However, just to be clear eyed -- And I use that term because Representative Lewis uses that term. These new kinds of chemotherapy increase survival by months, not years. They are better than what we used to have, but still it's hardly the treatment that anyone wants. Doctors are really fighting to do better than this.</s>NOBLES: Elizabeth Cohen, he is obviously beloved by people from both sides of the political aisle. Everyone waiting anxiously as he attacks this next big fight of his life. Elizabeth, we appreciate it. Former President Jimmy Carter returned to the public spotlight Sunday for the first time since he had brain surgery last November. President Carter along with his wife attended Sunday services at their home church in Plains, Georgia. The couple sat in their usual front pew. Carter did not teach his regular Sunday school class. He was released from the hospital just before Thanksgiving after surgery to relieve pressure on his brain following a series of falls. Carter is a liver and brain cancer survivor. He's 95, and the oldest living former U.S. president. It's been nearly a month since the murder of college student, Tessa Majors, in New York. And the investigation is far from over. Why two boys who were questioned in the case haven't been charged.