Senator John McCain was diagnosed with a brain tumor following surgery last week at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix for the removal of a blood clot above his left eye. After that surgery, a tissue analysis revealed the 80-year-old senator has brain cancer.

Type of cancer

McCain's office confirmed the condition of his health on Wednesday, July 19 after a statement came from the Mayo Clinic that stated the 2008 Republican presidential nominee has glioblastoma. That type of Brain Cancer is said to be the most malignant, aggressive and hardest to treat. Even after it has been treated with chemotherapy and radiation, medical experts said that type of cancer almost always returns.

According to the American Cancer Society, people who have been diagnosed with glioblastoma can have up to a five-year survival rate while living with the disease.

Two well-known people died from the same type of brain tumor that Senator McCain has. Those two individuals were Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts who died on August 25, 2009, at the age of 77. The other one is Beau Biden, former Vice President Joe Biden's oldest son who died on May 30, 2015, at the age of 46. Both men had received the best care after suffering from a brain tumor.

Outpouring support

McCain is recuperating at home in Arizona where he is receiving support from people whether they are Republicans or not. So far, he has received well wishes and a speedy recovery from presidents, including Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, the elder George Bush, his comrades in the Senate and others in the political world.

Senator McCain is a fixture in the Senate, and his absence is already having an impact on projects. He is a senior senator who has held the same office since 1987. The health care bill has been postponed until McCain returns to Washington. The senator said he is planning to return to the Senate; however, his office said his return is based on advice from his family and his medical advisers.

The McCain family is deciding along with medical personnel the type of care the senator will need which will more than likely include surgery before chemotherapy and radiation. Daughter Meghan McCain wrote a lengthy message about her father. In essence, she said it had shocked her entire family. She indicated that while everyone is anxious about what will come next, it is her father who is the confident and calm one.

A lot of people have reminded cancer how tough John McCain is. He is a fighter and has survived some challenging things in the past, including being a POW for five years. With his track record, it is the belief that he will beat this medical situation as well.