Ex-Sen. Coleman of Minnesota to have part of lungs removed

MINNEAPOLIS – Former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman of Minnesota says he plans to have part of his lungs removed after a re-emergence of cancer.

Coleman posted on his Facebook page Tuesday that he will have surgery on July 15. He says the procedure will remove about a quarter of his lungs and cut his lung capacity by up to 20%.

Last August, Coleman said he was being treated for stage 4 lung cancer. He wrote that after “heavy doses of chemotherapy, the tumour was gone.”

Coleman says he underwent five weeks of intensive radiation, but a follow-up scan found a spot on his lungs, and a biopsy determined that cancer had returned.

The Star Tribune reports Coleman wrote he is “not intending to give any quarter in this war against the beast.”

Coleman, a Republican, lost a close race in 2008 to Democrat Al Franken after a monthslong recount.