Arlen Specter has battled back from bypass surgery and a brain tumor.

Now it's cancer.

Specter, 75, vows he'll beat that, too. His doctor says his chances are excellent.

Specter, one of Pennsyvlania's two Republican U.S. senators and a figure in the news as far back as the Warren Commission investigation of the JFK assasination, announced yesterday that he has been diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease. Hodgkin's disease is a cancer of the lymph system.

"I have beaten a brain tumor, bypass heart surery and many tough political opponents and I'm going to beat this, too," Specter said. The brain tumor, removed in June, 1993, was benign.

"I have a lot more work to do for Pennsylvania and America," Specter said. His fellow senator, Rick Santorum, said he had spoken with Specter and "his spirits are up and he feels confident that he will get through this. He is in great shape to undergo treatment to battle this disease."

In a short statement, Specter's office said "it is expected that Sen. Specter will be able to perform all duties of his office, including those related to the chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee."

Specter, a moderate Republican, was named recently to the judiciary post.

Specter's oncologist, Dr. John H. Glick, of the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvnia, said in the statement that Specter had "an excellent chance of being completely cured of his Hodgkin's disease.

"Sen. Specter's Hodgkin's disease has a five-year survival rate of 70 percent," Glick said.

He said Specter was "in superb physical condition, particularly in light of his daily squash regimen."

Neither Glick nor Specter spokespeople could be reached after the announcement for more detail on Specter's illness.

The statement said Specter had been diagnosed with stage IVB Hodgkin's disease and would be treated with ABVD chemotherapy. According to medical Web sites, Hodgkin's runs from stage I to IV and ABVD refers to the type of medications used in the chemotherapy.

The statement said Specter had experienced persistent fevers and enlarged lymph nodes under his left arm and above his left clavicle. His lymph nodes and bone marrow were tested Monday at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and it was determined the lymph node was positive for Hodgkin's Disease but the bone marrow showed no cancer.

As a young lawyer, Specter, the Kansas-born son of Russian immigrants, was the "single-bullet" advocate on the Warren Commission that investigation John F. Kennedy's murder.

He's also drawn controversy for derailing Judge Robert Bork's Supreme Court nomination and relentlessly interrogating Anita Hill during the Clarence Thomas Supreme Court confirmation hearings.

A former Philadelphia district attorney, he has served in the Senate since 1980.

By Gloria Campisi, Philadelphia Inquirer, Feb 17, 2005