Jimmy Carter reveals he has cancer

Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter says he has cancer and will undergo treatment in Atlanta.

Carter, 90, underwent surgery last week to remove a small mass from his liver.

In a statement on the Carter Center website on Wednesday, Carter said:

"Recent liver surgery revealed that I have cancer that now is in other parts of my body. I will be rearranging my schedule as necessary so I can undergo treatment by physicians at Emory Healthcare (in Atlanta). A more complete public statement will be made when facts are known, possibly next week."

The statement makes clear that Carter's cancer is widely spread, but not where it originated, or even if that is known at this point. The liver is often a place where cancer spreads and less commonly is the primary source of it. It said further information will be provided when more facts are known, "possibly next week."

Carter was the 39th president of the U.S., serving one term after defeating Republican opponent Gerald Ford in a close election in 1976. He was defeated four years later by Ronald Reagan.

In 2002, the Plains, Ga., native was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for decades of work, subsequent to his term as president, promoting peace, human rights and economic and social development around the world, including through his involvement with Habitat for Humanity.

Carter also completed a book tour this summer to promote his latest work, A Full Life.

Carter included his family's history of pancreatic cancer in that memoir, writing that his father, brother and two sisters all died of the disease.

He wrote that being the only nonsmoker in his family "may have been what led to my longer life."