Tony Snow

WASHINGTON — Just last Thursday, Tony Snow was talking emotionally from the White House podium about beating cancer. He lauded Elizabeth Edwards, the wife of presidential contender John Edwards, for her upbeat attitude upon learning that her breast cancer had returned in a treatable but incurable form.

What hardly anyone knew then was that Snow, only a two-year survivor of cancer himself, was being scheduled for surgery to remove a suspicious growth. He would soon find out that he, too, would have to go another round against the often-deadly disease.

"The biggest problem you have a lot of times with cancer is just flat-out fear," he said on Friday after announcing his surgery. "And when you're seeing Elizabeth Edwards saying, 'I'm going to embrace life and I'm going to move forward,' that is a wonderful thing."

On Tuesday, the White House announced that the colon cancer Snow fought two years ago had returned, spreading to his liver and beyond.

Through stunned colleagues, the presidential press secretary relayed an optimistic message: he would fight the disease and get back to work.

"He is not going to let this whip him, and he's upbeat," President Bush said of his press secretary during an appearance in the Rose Garden. "And so my message to Tony is, 'Stay strong; a lot of people love you and care for you and will pray for you."'

Snow, 51, had his colon removed in 2005 and underwent six months of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with colon cancer. He underwent surgery on Monday to remove a growth in his abdominal area, near the site of the original cancer.

Doctors determined the growth was cancerous and the cancer had metastasized, or spread, to the liver.

The cancer has attached to the liver but is not in the liver, White House Deputy Press Secretary Dana Perino said.

The news rocked the White House. Snow had gone into the surgery saying he felt fine, and recent blood tests and imaging scans had indicated no return of cancer. He had said he opted to remove the growth out of "aggressive sense of caution."

A former radio and TV commentator, Snow brought his star power and camera-ready charm to a beleaguered White House last May. He quickly became the public face of Bush's daily communications and has spoken openly — and emotionally — about being a cancer survivor.

He had recently reached the two-year mark of being free of cancer.

"He told me that he beat this thing before," said Perino, "and he intends to beat it again."

It is common for colon cancer patients to suffer a recurrence of cancer, and the most common site is the liver. Medical experts say advances in chemotherapy can allow people with the type of cancer Snow has to return to work and good health for years.

But experts declined to speculate on Snow specifically.