Tampa native Pam Bondi has been undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer since she was dismissed as U.S. Attorney General in April.
Bondi, a former Florida attorney general and Hillsborough County prosecutor, confirmed her diagnosis Wednesday with CNN and CBS News.
Bondi, 60, told CNN she has been going through treatment, including surgery a few weeks ago, and is “doing well, though.”
CBS News reported that Bondi was diagnosed shortly after she was removed from office by President Donald Trump on April 2. News of her cancer was first reported by Axios.
ALSO READ: Trump fires Tampa's Pam Bondi as attorney general, eyes Lee Zeldin as replacement
On Wednesday, it was announced she will join the Presidential Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. The council, announced in March, will provide recommendations to Trump on “strengthening American leadership in science and technology.”
“Pam has been an enormously valuable asset to the president’s team, and I’m thrilled for her and for all of us that she’s going to remain involved in confronting some of the most important issues the administration faces,” Vice President JD Vance said in a statement.
Thyroid cancer, treatments and prognoses
The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland at the base of your neck that makes hormones that regulate how your body uses energy. Thyroid hormones also help control your body temperature, blood pressure and heart rate.
About 45,000 people in the U.S. develop thyroid cancer each year, according to the American Cancer Society. It is about three times more common in women than men, with an average diagnosis age of 51. Other risk factors include family history, inherited syndromes, low iodine intake or obesity.
Thyroid cancer is highly treatable, with a five-year relative survival rate of roughly 98.3%, the cancer society reports.
The first sign of thyroid cancer is usually a painless lump in the neck called a nodule, but only about 1 out of 10 nodules are cancerous. Other symptoms include hoarseness or trouble breathing or swallowing.
According to Tampa General Hospital, treatment involves surgically removing a portion of or the entire thyroid gland, followed by long-term hormone replacement therapy. Other common treatments include radiation, chemotherapy and radioactive iodine therapy.
Testifying on Epstein files
In addition to working through her treatment, she is scheduled to appear Friday before the House Oversight Committee regarding the Justice Department's release of files in the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case.
The committee subpoenaed Bondi, and she was set to give a closed-door deposition on April 14, but the DOJ said that she would no longer appear as scheduled after her dismissal. Republicans eventually scheduled Friday's appearance after Democrats moved to hold her in contempt following after she failed to appear for the deposition.
ALSO READ: A look at how the Epstein files dogged Pam Bondi's time as attorney general
The firing followed months of bipartisan scrutiny over her handling of the Epstein case and failed efforts to please Trump through unsuccessful efforts to build criminal cases against prominent foes.
At the time of her firing, Trump wrote on Trust Social: “Pam Bondi is a Great American Patriot and a loyal friend, who faithfully served as my Attorney General over the past year. We love Pam, and she will be transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector, to be announced at a date in the near future.”
