A doctor says Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey is currently free of lung cancer
MONTGOMERY, Ala. —
Medical scans show Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey is free of the lung cancer she was diagnosed with last year, her office said Wednesday.
Ivey, 75, received a follow-up examination Tuesday after being treated with radiation for Stage 1 lung cancer. In a statement issued through the governor’s office, Dr. Alex Whitley of Central Alabama Radiation Oncology said the cancer appears to be gone. He said the imaging “demonstrates an excellent response to treatment.”
Whitley said additional scans would be done in the future, “but I consider Governor Ivey to be cured.”
The Republican governor announced in September that doctors had found a small malignancy in her lung during a routine exam and that she would undergo radiation treatments.
Ivey said Wednesday that she was “profoundly grateful for this good news” and thanked God, her medical team and citizens of the state.
“I have been humbled by your support during my recovery, and it is my life’s highest honor to serve as your governor,” Ivey said in a statement.
Ivey did not disclose her exact diagnosis or cancer staging when she announced the illness in September, but described it as a small, malignant spot on her lung. The statement issued Wednesday indicated she had been diagnosed was Stage 1 lung cancer.