Edwards' Wife Starts Cancer Treatment

A test shows no sign the disease has spread from her breast to the lymph nodes, doctors say.

November 11, 2004

WASHINGTON — Elizabeth Edwards, wife of former Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. John Edwards, has begun chemotherapy to shrink a half-dollar-sized lump in her breast. Doctors found no sign the cancer had spread, a family spokesman said Wednesday.

After a 16-week chemotherapy course, Edwards will take a four- to six-week break. Georgetown University Medical Center doctors who are treating Edwards will then surgically remove the lump.

A needle biopsy of Edwards' lymph nodes Tuesday found "no indication of cancer," spokesman David Ginsberg said. "From what we know now, it has not spread."

As a safety precaution, however, doctors will remove some of her healthy lymph node tissue. Edwards will then undergo radiation.

The mood at the Edwards household was upbeat. Well-wishers have written to say "they know she's strong and she's going to fight through this and their thoughts and prayers are with her," Ginsberg said.

Edwards, 55, said she discovered the lump in her right breast on Oct. 21, during a campaign trip. She said she had not gotten a mammogram in recent years.

She was diagnosed with invasive ductal cancer, the most common type of breast cancer, which can spread from milk ducts to other parts of the breast.

Well-wishers can send e-mail to elizabeth@oneamericacommittee.com or can send cards to Elizabeth Edwards, P.O. Box 5428, Washington, D.C., 20013.