Former US President and Cancer Survivor Jimmy Carter Dies at 100

On December 29, 2024, former US President Jimmy Carter died at the age of 100. Carter was a celebrated cancer survivor: he was diagnosed with malignant melanoma in 2015. Melanoma is a very fast-growing malignancy with a poor prognosis. But after treatment with a PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor, Carter unexpectedly achieved a good response and lived another ten years. After his cancer diagnosis, Carter was at one point also devoted to public welfare, traveling around to build housing for the homeless.

That Carter could live to 100 after cancer makes his story legendary. There are quite a few long-lived survivors who fought cancer longer than Carter, but none is as famous, so none has had Carter's influence. Carter's successful battle with cancer brought hope and confidence to many cancer patients. The smooth adoption of anti-cancer regimens like PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors is also partly related to Carter's success; after all, having such a celebrity as a success story makes it easier for patients to trust the treatment.

China actually also has a cancer survivor who lived past 100, with an even longer battle than Carter. His name was Su Yiran, a former member of the Central Advisory Commission and former Party Secretary of Shandong Province. Su Yiran lived 44 years after being diagnosed with gastric cancer and died at 103. He was diagnosed in 1977 while serving as Shandong Party Secretary; because the stage was advanced, there was no direct surgical option, and he received chemotherapy. He was later also diagnosed with bladder cancer and cholecystitis, and underwent three major surgeries in his life.

From Carter's and Su Yiran's stories we can see that even with cancer, there is hope of reaching a very old age. Neither of their roads was smooth, but both walked it through bravely. May their successful battles inspire us all to keep going.