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NATIONAL BRIEFING / WASHINGTON, D.C.

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TIMES WIRE REPORTS

Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) ignited a new round of speculation about his health when he remarked that his eyes and nose were running as a side effect of chemotherapy.

A spokeswoman said Specter, 79, has not had a relapse of cancer nor undergone chemotherapy in more than a year.

He made the comment during the Senate Judiciary Committee’s deliberations on Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination to the Supreme Court.

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“If you see me dab at my eyes, I’m not sad,” he said. “It’s chemotherapy, and I’ve made the Kleenex industry wealthy.”

Some cancer treatments can cause long-lasting eye effects, including dry eye or excess tear production.

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