'I will prevail'

Sen. McCain and his wife, Cindy, distributed sunscreen and water to reporters on Friday

"I've been in a number of fights in my life and this is just another one and I'm sure I will prevail," said McCain, who was wearing an Arizona Diamondbacks hat.

The senator and his wife Cindy brought reporters a basket of sun screen and a wheelbarrow of bottled water. The senator apologized for making them wait so long under the hot Arizona sun, but explained that until then he had nothing new to report.

The couple met with doctors Friday to discuss the findings of the tests he underwent the day before to determine how deep the cancers were and whether they had spread.

Those tests included blood work, a chest X-ray, an electrocardiogram, an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), a CT scan and an echocardiogram, according to the doctors.

The tests did not find any evidence the cancer had spread to other areas of McCain's body, such as the lungs or liver, the doctors' statement said.

Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer. It can quickly spread to other parts of the body and claims about 7,700 lives in the United States each year.

Melanoma near the skin surface can be surgically removed, with excellent chances of recovery.

McCain was diagnosed with the cancer last week.

The senator revealed Friday that he had a biopsy taken of the lesion on his face once before, in 1996, and it was then determined to be benign. A Capitol Hill doctor recently suggested he get it checked again.

McCain also had a melanoma lesion removed from his shoulder in 1993. When that was revealed in medical records he released in 1999, McCain's doctor, John Eckstein of the Mayo Clinic, said that because there had been no recurrence of the disease in over five years, "we think he is cured."

Regrets timing of news

Doctors found the melanoma after McCain left the Republican National Convention to have biopsies performed at Bethesda Naval Hospital near Washington, D.C.

McCain said the cancer, which has been linked to sun exposure, was not related to his time as a Vietnam prisoner of war.

"The one thing I wanted to do as a prisoner of war was to see the sun. I went for years without seeing the sun," he noted.

The news of McCain's cancer came during the Democratic National Convention when delegates were nominating Sen. Joe Lieberman as their vice presidential candidate.

"I'm very apologetic that it leaked out in, I think, an improper fashion and we certainly didn't have anything to do with that," said McCain. "I wish it hadn't happened on Wednesday."

"Joe Lieberman is a very dear friend of mine and I don't think anything should have detracted from his moment," said McCain.

McCain said he expects to return to the campaign trail the week of Labor Day. He has canceled campaign events scheduled for this week with several GOP congressional candidates around the country.

While on the campaign trail last week with former primary rival George W. Bush, McCain was asked about bandages on his face. "Wear sunscreen," he said. "I'm dead serious ... or you'll be going under the knife." He noted he is fair-skinned and had "a lot of exposure to the sun when I was very young."