Updated 3.22pm 

INDEPENDENT TD PETER Mathews has revealed he has been diagnosed with cancer – but said he still intends to contest the general election.

Mathews, who is running for re-election in Dublin-Rathdown, confirmed in a statement today that he was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer last month.

He said that the cancer is curable and he expects to be back in full health in the next number of months.

“In January I had to go for a routine medical examination which resulted in an unexpected diagnosis of oesophageal cancer,” he said in a statement today.

Following on from this initial diagnosis I underwent further tests in order to establish what the necessary treatment would be, as well as a prognosis for recovery. These further tests were only completed at the end of last week.

The positive outcome is that with the necessary treatment the cancer is curable, and I expect to be back in full health on completion of treatment over the next number of months.

Mathews’s campaign will continue as he undergoes treatment, he said:

My treatment will commence in the next few days, and while this will mean that my daily activities will be curtailed in the coming months, I have an excellent team in place who will continue to manage the office in my absence. During treatment I will continue to remain fully abreast of, and involved in, all relevant matters and decisions.

Mathews was elected as a Fine Gael TD for Dublin South in 2011 but lost the party whip in 2013 when he voted against the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill.

He later quit the party and though he was briefly involved with Lucinda Creighton’s plans for a new party, he is now contesting the election as an independent.

In his statement, Mathews said that he is committed to work on behalf of his constituents if re-elected later this month, adding:

My commitment to representing the real interests of my constituents and of the Irish people remains as strong as ever, and if re-elected I will continue to work hard to secure the reforms necessary for greater transparency, accountability and fairness.

Read: For perhaps the last time, Peter Mathews was sent packing from the Dáil today

‘Completely different’: Peter Mathews says he’s not copying Fine Gael colours