WASHINGTON, Dec 7, 2010 (AFP) - Elizabeth Edwards, wife of former senator and vice presidential candidate John Edwards, announced Monday she has ended treatment for cancer after doctors advised her any further therapy would be useless.

Edwards, who separated from her husband after news that he fathered a child with another woman, has been battling cancer since 2004.

"The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered," she said on her Facebook page. "We know that. And, yes, there are certainly times when we aren't able to muster as much strength and patience as we would like. It's called being human."

Media in her home state of North Carolina said that Edwards' family had gathered around her including her husband, who moved back to to help care for Elizabeth and their two young children.

Elizabeth Edwards noticed a lump on her breast during a presidential campaign trip for John Edwards and presidential nominee John Kerry during their 2004 campaign and began treatment in 2005.

John Edwards dropped out of the political scene when news of his affair broke after he ended his 2008 presidential bid.