Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has rare 'aggressive' cancer

Mr Ford, 45, has a malignant liposarcoma in his abdomen and will begin chemotherapy within 48 hours.

"I'm optimistic about treatment," said Dr Zane Cohen, who is overseeing his care team.

Mr Ford withdrew from his re-election campaign last week after being diagnosed with the abdominal tumour.

The controversial mayor, who admitted to smoking crack cocaine while in office, maintains a strong support base despite calls for him to resign.

'A difficult tumour'

Liposarcoma is a rare cancer of the soft tissue which accounts for only 1% of all cancers, Dr Cohen said at a news conference at Mount Sinai hospital in Toronto.

Mr Ford has a 12cm by 12cm sized tumour in his abdomen and another smaller 2cm tumour in his left buttock, which are believed to have grown within the last three years.

"It's a rare tumour, a very difficult tumour," said Dr Cohen.

But he also said this type of cancer had proved to be more sensitive to chemotherapy than other tumours.