( CNN ) -- Toronto Mayor Rob Ford soon will begin chemotherapy to treat a rare and aggressive cancer , a doctor at Mount Sinai Hospital in the city said Wednesday . Dr. Zane Cohen said Ford has a malignant liposarcoma , and a second biopsy on his tumor done Monday shows it is aggressive . `` However , we are optimistic about this tumor , '' Cohen said . Ford , who recently announced he will not run for re-election , will start chemotherapy by Friday afternoon . The cancer has spread from the fatty tissue of Ford 's abdomen to other parts of his body , including his buttocks , Cohen said . The doctor added that this type of tumor comprises only about 1 % of all cancers and has at least 60 different types of cells , making it difficult to treat . Cohen said there would be 18 days in between chemo and there would be another 18-day break , after which doctors would reassess Ford 's treatment plan . Those three-day rounds of chemotherapy might eventually be followed by surgery , radiation or both , he said . The health ailment adds to the list of struggles facing Ford , whose fall from grace began in May 2013 with the release of a cell phone video that appeared to show him smoking crack cocaine . The Toronto city council largely stripped him of his mayoral powers months later over those and other allegations of bad behavior . Ford did n't back down , though , instead vowing `` outright war '' on the city council . The mayor apologized for `` a lot of stupid things , '' including having used crack cocaine , but he refused to resign or enter rehab . In fact , despite all the criticism and his becoming a punchline for jokes in Canada as well as the United States , Ford launched a bid for re-election . This past spring , after a local newspaper reported on a new video that allegedly showed him smoking crack cocaine , Ford relented on one front : by going into rehab . He returned to work in late June , after a two-month rehab stint , saying he was `` ashamed , embarrassed and humiliated '' by some of his past actions . But he refused to resign or refrain from campaigning , saying to the voters of Toronto , `` I look forward to serving you for many , many more years . '' Ford 's term officially ends December 1 . When he announced his decision not to seek re-election last week , Ford has asked his brother , Doug Ford , to run for mayor in the October 27 balloting . Doug Ford released a statement Wednesday on behalf of the Ford family saying of his brother 's diagnosis : `` I ca n't begin to share how devastating this has been for Rob and our family . '' `` Rob has always been so strong for all of us and now I ask us all to be strong for him , '' Doug Ford said in the statement , adding , `` Rob will beat this . '' CNN 's Greg Botelho contributed to this report .
Rob Ford decided not to run for re - election after his tumor was discovered . The controversial candidate has a rare cancer , which has spread from his tumor . Doctor is unsure about the prognosis , but treatment will start with chemo . Ford returned to work in late June after two months in rehab .