The former Republican senator and University of Florida president, 53, publicly shared his diagnosis and prognosis on social media, stating, "it's a death sentence."

Former U.S. Senator Ben Sasse announced on Tuesday that he has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, delivering the news with stark candor on social media. The 53-year-old Republican, who resigned from the Senate in 2023 to become president of the University of Florida, stated that the advanced cancer is terminal.

"Advanced pancreatic is nasty stuff; it's a death sentence. But I already had a death sentence before last week, too — we all do," Sasse wrote on X. Death is a wicked thief, and the bastard pursues us all.

A Public Figure's Private Battle

Sasse served in the Senate from Nebraska from 2015 to 2023, where he was known as a frequent critic of former President Donald Trump. He was one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial following the January 6 Capitol riot.

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He left the Senate to lead the University of Florida but resigned from that post last year, citing a need to focus on his family after his wife was diagnosed with epilepsy. His cancer diagnosis adds a profound new layer to that personal struggle.

Facing the Diagnosis with Humor and Faith

In his statement, Sasse blended philosophical reflection with defiance and gallows humor. "I'll have more to say. I'm not going down without a fight," he wrote, noting his hope in "jawdropping advances" in immunotherapy.

"We're zealously embracing a lot of gallows humor in our house, and I've pledged to do my part to run through the irreverent tape," he added.

The Challenge of Pancreatic Cancer

Sasse's diagnosis highlights the severe nature of pancreatic cancer. While it accounts for only about 3% of all new cancer cases in the United States, it is the third leading cause of cancer deaths and is projected to become the second leading cause by 2030

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The disease is challenging to treat because it is often detected at a late stage. "The vast majority of patients who present with pancreatic cancer have advanced disease at the time of their diagnosis," Dr. Brian Wolpin, director of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, told CNN last year. We are very unlikely to be able to cure the cancer in such cases.

Source: Statement from former Sen. Ben Sasse on X; pancreatic cancer statistics from the American Cancer Society; medical context from CNN.