Bob Casey says he'll undergo surgery for prostate cancer, expects full recovery
Jan. 6—U.S. Sen. Bob Casey will undergo surgery for prostate cancer, but experts say chances of a full recovery are excellent.
In a statement issued by his office late Thursday morning, Casey, 62, of Scranton, said he was diagnosed last month. The news was a shock but his prognosis is excellent, he said.
"I am confident that my recommended course of treatment will allow me to continue my service in the 118th Congress with minimal disruption, and I look forward to the work ahead," Casey said.
Casey's staff said he was unavailable for comment Thursday, but plans to host a news conference Friday in Bethlehem on the American Rescue Plan's benefits. On Saturday, Casey will attend the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg.
In an email, Mairead Lynn, Casey's communications director, said Dr. Brian Monahan, the attending physician for Congress, is managing Casey's treatment. A blood test revealed high levels of prostate-specific antigen, Lynn said, which led to further tests and the diagnosis.
"He has not chosen a surgeon yet, so the surgery has not been scheduled," Lynn said.
Casey, who prides himself on rarely missing Senate votes, may need a few weeks off to recover, she said.
"Once we have a surgery date, we'll know a little bit more about whether he'll miss votes and other legislative work," Lynn said.
The prostate gland sits just below men's bladders and surrounds the top part of the tube that drains urine, according to a Mayo Clinic definition.
Prostate cancer is considered quite treatable. Diagnosed patients live five years or longer in more than 99% of cases, even if the cancer spreads slightly outside the prostate, according to the latest available American Cancer Society figures. The five-year survival rate drops to 31% if the cancer spreads to more distant organs such as the lungs or liver.
"It has no symptoms in its earliest stages, so the only way we find it is to look for it," said Dr. Michael Rittenberg, a urologist at Riverview Urologic Associates in Kingston, part of the Commonwealth Health Physician Network. The PSA test is the primary detection method and routine, even annual testing is recommended, especially in men 55 and older.
"The older you are, the more likely it is that you will get prostate cancer," Rittenberg said.
Treatments for prostate cancer include surgery, radiation, hormone therapy and therapy focused on removing just the cancerous portion using a laser or high-energy ultrasound, said Dr. Angelo A. Baccala Jr., chief of urology at Lehigh Valley Health Network.
Prostate surgery usually follows early detection because the cancer hasn't spread outside the organ, Baccala and Rittenberg said.
"The standard of care for treatment of early stage prostate cancer ... is either surgery or radiation," Rittenberg said. "I'm a surgeon. So I do surgery. And people might say, 'Well, you're biased because you do surgery and the answer to that is, 'No, I think surgery is an excellent and reliable way of curing prostate cancer.' And the long-term aftereffects are predictable and most people who have prostate cancer surgery will live an absolutely normal life."
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