Jimmy Carter

She was the driving force behind federal health legislation when her husband was president. She later used The Carter Center to bring together policy experts and created a fellowship program to improve the accuracy of reporting about mental illness.

The announcement comes less than four months after former President Jimmy Carter entered hospice care at the couple's home in Plains, Ga., following several stints in and out of the hospital.

Hospice care is treatment designed to make patients comfortable in their final days. It is usually home-based and reserved for those declared by two physicians to be terminally ill, with six months or less to live.

Determining what treatment to pursue for former President Jimmy Carter's cancer will depend on its type, its origin and factors such as age and health,…