PALM BEACH, Fla. (Nexstar) — Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh told listeners Monday that his cancer has progressed and he has been forced to confront the fact that he is “under a death sentence.” 

Limbaugh has missed some time on air since February when he announced he was battling advanced lung cancer. He told listeners Monday that “scans did show some progression of cancer,” during treatment this week. Earlier scans showed treatment had “rendered the cancer dormant.”

The 69-year-old said his treatment has been adjusted in hopes of slowing cancer for as long as possible and voiced gratitude for the routine of producing his syndicated program.

Prior to his diagnosis, Limbaugh said he’d been experiencing shortness of breath that he initially thought might be heart-related but turned out to be a pulmonary malignancy.

The hyper-partisan broadcaster has served as a Republican kingmaker through his decades on the radio. President Donald Trump awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom shortly after he announced his diagnosis.

He started his national radio show in 1988 from New York, later relocating to Palm Beach, Florida.