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Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) is cancer-free and in "excellent health," according to a statement released by the Mayo Clinic of Arizona at the senator’s request. “At the present time, Sen. McCain enjoys excellent health and displays extraordinary energy,” said McCain’s physician Dr. John Eckstein. “While it is impossible to predict any person’s future health, today I can find no medical reason or problems that would preclude Sen. McCain from fulfilling all the duties and obligations of president of the United States.” The release of McCain’s medical records is part of his campaign’s effort to show that the candidate is healthy. The senator is 71 and has survived four melanomas, and the campaign is seeking to make sure that McCain’s age will not become an issue. The Mayo Clinic document states that McCain had “four malignant melanomas ... surgically removed in the past,” the last one in 2002, but noted that there is “no evidence of recurrence or metastasis” of the one invasive melanoma McCain had removed in 2000. The document states that McCain has “significantly reduced range of motion of his shoulders, arms and right knee” as a result of war injuries and the effects of torture when he was a POW in Vietnam but notes the senator does not take pain medication or complain of bone or joint pain. McCain is taking drugs to control his cholesterol, and for kidney stone prevention; aspirin for blood clot prevention; an antihistamine for nasal energies; Ambien, which helps him sleep when traveling; and a multi-vitamin tablet. Dr. Victor Trastek, the CEO of Mayo Clinic, addressed the timing of the records’ release: “The release of the senator's medical information is a combination of two factors: scheduling and making certain that the release included the most recent medical information." The McCain camp has been criticized for waiting to release the information and then for scheduling the release on a holiday weekend. |
