Carson Has Lung Cancer

Chronically ill Democratic Rep. Julia Carson of Indiana told the Indianapolis Star over the weekend that she has terminal lung cancer but did not say if she intended to run for reelection or resign early as a result of the illness.

Carson's detoriating health has been apparent on Capitol Hill, with a rotating series of congressional aides wheeling her to and from House votes. But the extent of her illness remained unclear until the 69-year-old congresswoman issued a statement to the Star.

The Indiana Democrat vowed to return to Washington by mid-December when she was admitted to the hospital in late September for a leg infection, but the latest discovery could alter that timeline.

"My doctor discovered lung cancer," Carson said in a statement over the weekend. "It had gone into remission years before, but it was back with a terminal vengeance."

Her chief of staff told the newspaper Sunday he wasn't sure how far the cancer had progressed and would not comment on her future in Congress until he knew more about the diagnosis.

Democrats and Republicans who were lining up to succeed her in the face of her detoriating health refrained from stoking those challenges in the wake of the announcement while Carson herself focused on thanking her family, friends and supporters.