Writer Iain Banks diagnosed with cancer and has months to live

Scottish author of The Wasp Factory and Consider Phlebas has been diagnosed with late-stage gall bladder cancer.

Iain Banks has told fans he only has months to live. Yui Mok / AP Photo
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Scottish writer Iain Banks says he has been diagnosed with late-stage gall bladder cancer and has just months to live.

Banks says it is "extremely unlikely" he'll live more than a year and that his latest novel, The Quarry, will likely be his last.

In a statement posted on his publisher's website today, the 59-year-old said he is "officially very poorly" and is weighing the pros and cons of chemotherapy to extend his life.

Banks is the author of titles such as The Wasp Factory and Consider Phlebas.

He writes general fiction and science fiction - the latter under the name Iain M. Banks.

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