Former US presidential candidate, Senator John McCain, will no longer continue treatment for his brain cancer, his family has announced.
His family said he had “surpassed expectations for his survival” and made the choice to end his treatment.
Mr McCain, 81, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain tumour last summer and had been undergoing treatment since July 2017.
He left Washington in December, but has remained a vocal political figure and fierce critic of President Donald Trump.
His family said in a statement shared with US media: “Last year, Senator John McCain shared with Americans the news our family already knew: he had been diagnosed with an aggressive glioblastoma, and the prognosis was serious.
“In the year since, John has surpassed expectations for his survival. But the progress of disease and the inexorable advance of age render their verdict.
“With his usual strength of will, he has chosen to discontinue medical treatment.”
The six-term senator and 2008 Republican presidential nominee was diagnosed after doctors discovered his tumour during surgery to remove a blood clot from above his left eye last July.
The son and grandson of Navy admirals, Mr McCain was a fighter pilot during the Vietnam War. When his plane was shot down, he spent more than five years as a prisoner of war.
While in the custody of his captors, he was tortured and suffered numerous injuries that left him with lingering disabilities.
In a tweet, Meghan McCain, Mr McCain’s daughter, said that her family “is deeply appreciative of all the love and generosity” they have received over the past year.
His wife, Cindy McCain, also shared the family’s statement on Twitter, saying: “I love my husband with all of my heart. God bless everyone who has cared for my husband along the journey.”
McCain represented his state in the Senate and House for 35 years and has been a strong voice within the Republican Party.
He was the Republican candidate for President of the United States in the 2008 election, which he lost to Barack Obama.
