Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon State Treasurer Ben Westlund is vowing to stay on the job, despite announcing Thursday that his cancer is back. Chris Lehman reports.

Westlund fought lung cancer in 2003, but it went into remission after surgery and treatment.

Now, the first-term Democrat says doctors detected a recurrence earlier this year, and that he's been receiving treatment.

Through a spokesperson Westlund declined to be interviewed but issued a statement saying, “Like thousands of Oregonians who live with cancer every day, I continue to work.”

The statement says the cancer was detected early. The 60-year-old Westlund served more than a decade in the state Legislature before getting elected State Treasurer last year.