Utah AG Shurtleff will undergo chemotherapy


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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff must undergo chemotherapy after doctors discovered a cancerous growth removed from his appendix last week had spread.

"They found cancer cells in three of the 20 lymph nodes they looked at," said the attorney general's spokesman Paul Murphy.

Twelve sessions of chemotherapy over six months will begin at the first of year, he said.

Doctors told Shurtleff everyone reacts differently to the treatment, but he'll likely be tired and lose his hair, Murphy said, adding Shurtleff is trying to not let the cancer slow him down.

"It's a little shocking," said Shurtleff. "I don't expect it to slow me down for more than a couple of weeks.

"He is a fighter. And he will fight this cancer just like he fights everything else," Murphy said. "It is a pretty aggressive cancer and that's why they're taking a really aggressive approach to try to get rid of it."

Shurtleff, 53, underwent surgery last week to remove a portion of his colon after doctors found a malignant tumor in his appendix.

Story compiled with contributions from Jennifer Stagg and Dennis Romboy.

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