The world is better because of him.

Bob Dole, the longtime US senator from Kansas and 1996 Republican presidential nominee, announced Thursday that he has an advanced form of lung cancer and will undergo treatment.

"Recently, I was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. My first treatment will begin Monday," Dole, 97, wrote on Twitter. "While I certainly have some hurdles ahead, I also know that I join millions of Americans who face significant health challenges of their own."

Dole, who was seriously wounded during World War II, has suffered a series of health ailments in previous years. In 1991, he received surgery for prostate cancer, received abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery in 2001, was hospitalized in 2005 after a fall in his home and was treated for a leg infection in 2009.