Carter said Wednesday that surgery on Aug. 3 to remove a mass in his liver revealed cancer that had spread to other parts of his body. "There is clearly a family history of cancer, but we don't know if that plays a role in his current situation," said Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society. "The process usually starts with imaging — CT scans or PET scans or ultrasound — to try to get a sense of how extensive the cancer is, what organs are involved," said Dr.