No. 2 Republican in House Reveals Cancer Diagnosis

Rep. Steve Scalise, the No. 2-ranking House Republican, said Tuesday he has been diagnosed with a form of blood cancer known as multiple myeloma and is undergoing treatment. Scalise, 57, said he will continue to serve in the House. He described the cancer as "very treatable" and said it was detected early, per the AP. The diagnosis came, Scalise said, after he had not been feeling like himself in the past week. Blood tests showed some irregularities, and additional screening revealed the cancer.

"I have now begun treatment, which will continue for the next several months," he said in a statement. "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 also thanked his medical team and said he was "incredibly grateful we were able to detect this early and that this cancer is treatable." Scalise was among several people wounded in 2017 when a rifle-wielding attacker fired on lawmakers on a baseball field in Alexandria, Virginia, outside Washington. Scalise was shot in the hip and endured lengthy hospitalizations, multiple surgeries, and painful rehabilitation.

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