House Majority Leader Steve Scalise announced his cancer diagnosis Tuesday morning.
The Republican representative from Louisiana tweeted that he has multiple myeloma, which he calls “a very treatable blood cancer.” Scalise said he had blood work done “after a few days of not feeling like myself this past week.” He started treatment, which he said should last “several months.”
“I expect to work through this period and intend to return to Washington, continuing my work as Majority Leader and serving the people of Louisiana’s First Congressional District,” Scalise wrote. “I am incredibly grateful we were able to detect this early and that this cancer is treatable. I am thankful for my excellent medical team, and with the help of God, support of my family, friends, colleagues, and constituents, I will tackle this with the same strength and energy as I have tackled past challenges.”
Scalise has been in the House since 2008, but this is his first term as House Majority Leader. Previously he was the whip under then-Leader Kevin McCarthy. After Republicans gained control of the House in the 2022 election, McCarthy became Speaker, and Scalise moved into his role.
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In 2017, Scalise was shot and wounded during a practice for the Congressional Baseball Game, a yearly tradition where teams of Republicans and Democrats play against each other. Scalise was one of four shot by James Hodgkinson, who was “fueled by rage against Republican legislators,” according to Virginia’s then-Attorney General Mark Herring. Though Scalise was in critical condition after the shooting, following surgery, he made a quick recovery.
Multiple myeloma affects plasma cells, and can cause a thickening of the blood. It can also lead to tumors in soft tissue or bone marrow. The disease is treatable, but incurable. The onset of the cancer is generally around the age of 60; Scalise is 57.
Though the life expectancy of someone with multiple myeloma is six years in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute, there have been many advances in treatment. The American Cancer Society says that the existing mortality rate is based on data at least five years old. The current five-year survival rate is 54% in the U.S., according to the NCI.
Symptoms of multiple myeloma include bone pain, anemia and impaired kidney function. Headache and fatigue are also common due to the blood thickening or anemia. The cause is unknown.