Senator John McCain Discharged from Hospital

(August 21, 2000) – Senator John McCain (R-AZ) has been released from the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Scottsdale, Arizona, following surgery Saturday to remove two melanomas.  According to a statement on his campaign Web site, he"s resting at his home in Phoenix. The Senator and his wife are reportedly upbeat about his prognosis.

"The Senator and Mrs. McCain received word from Dr. John Eckstein and Dr. Michael Hinni that pathologists have completed their review of the surgical tissue and found the surgical margins widely clear of melanoma and the lymph nodes were negative. The melanoma removed from the Sen. McCain"s left arm is clear as well," the statement says.

The former GOP presidential contender is anxious to return to the campaign trail on behalf of George W. Bush and other Republican candidates.

Surgeons removed two melanomas in a five-and-a-half-hour operation Saturday (8/19/00) and preliminary evaluation of lymph nodes removed from around the primary melanoma showed they did not contain any melanoma cells.

The hospital said the primary melanoma, on McCain’s left temple, was removed with a two-centimeter wide margin. Then surgeons removed lymph nodes within the drainage pattern of the lesion, as shown by a nuclear tracer injected into the lesion in a procedure called sentinel lymphoscintigraphy performed prior to the operation. Removal of the lymph nodes entailed removal of the superficial portion of the left parotid gland, which contributes to saliva production.

McCain’s internist, Dr. John D. Eckstein, told reporters that surgeons had to work carefully to avoid damaging a central nerve in McCain’s face.

A superficial (in-situ) melanoma on the senator’s left arm was also removed.

Skin and soft tissue overlying the left temple, face and neck was reconstructed, with skin from the lower face and neck rotate to close the wound, and two temporary surgical drains were placed to prevent fluid buildup.

The clinic said the senator was under general anesthesia throughout the operation.

There were no complications or other problems and McCain, who turns 64 August 29^th.

The surgical team was led by D. Michael L. Hinni, a specialist in head and neck cancer surgery. He was assisted by a facial plastic surgeon, Dr. Stephen F. Bansberg, and an occuloplastic surgeon, Dr. William M. McLeish.

The two melanomas removed were discovered during a routine examination and confirmed in a biopsy August 4^th at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Marlyand. The discovery was announced by McCain’s Senate office August 16^th.

The following day he underwent tests at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale including MRI/MRA of the brain, CT scans of the neck, chest abdomen and pelvis, electrocardiogram and echocardiogram. All test results were said to be normal.

As a prisoner of war in Vietnam for five-and-a-half year, McCain endured long periods of exposure to the sun, although there is no way to be sure how much of a role that played in his first melanoma, diagnosed in 1993.

Melanoma is more serious – and more rare – than basal cell or squamous cell cancer. It can spread, or metastasize, quickly to other parts of the body. Treatment of a recurrence can be more difficult, depending on the stage of the cancer.

The American Cancer Society estimates that 47,700 people in the United States will be diagnosed with melanoma this year and that it will kill 7,700. Melanoma mortality rates have increased by about 44% during the last three decades, with the greatest increase among white men age 50 and above.

SOURCES:

• The Washington Post
• Sen. McCain"s U.S. Senate Office
• Sen. McCain"s campaign Web site
• American Cancer Society
• cancerpage.com special series "Protect Yourself Against Skin Cancer," May 2000