Representative Julia Carson, of Indiana's 7th congressional district, has taken a medical leave and disclosed that she has terminal lung cancer. Carson, 69, disclosed to The Indianapolis Star that she had battled cancer before and that it had gone into remission but was back with "a terminal vengeance."

The Democrat, who is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, also took a leave of absence from Congress because of a leg infection a couple of months ago. Apparently, doctors discovered the cancer while treating her this summer.

Julia M. Carson was hired in 1965 by newly elected congressman Andy Jacobs to do casework in his Indianapolis office. In 1972, Jacobs encouraged Carson to run for the state House, which she did and served as a member for 4 years. In 1976, she successfully ran for the Indiana state senate.

Her run in the U.S. Congress, where she was elected in 1997, has been plagued by multiple health problems. Julia Carson had major heart surgery in 1997, and serious pneumonia in 1999. In 2004, she missed almost 200 House votes due to health problems. The press reported that year-to-date, Carson has participated around 87 percent of the House votes.

"I think she has been and continues to be a very important political figure in Central Indiana politics and obviously in Marion County," said Rozelle Boyd, a Democrat and longtime member of the City-County Council, to The Indianapolis Star. "I think that the rebuilding of the Democratic Party will rely very much on the contribution from the congressperson of the 7th District."

In lung cancer, overall 5 year survival rates vary from around 9 percent in developing countries to 15 percent in the United States. The National Cancer Institute reports that the median age of incidence of lung cancer is 70 years, and the median age of death by lung cancer 71 years. Most lung cancers are caused by smoking, which contributes to almost 90 percent of lung cancer cases.