A U.S. congressman said March 31 that he’s been diagnosed with cancer.
Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) said that he underwent a preventive scan that prompted additional tests, leading to a diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma.
The common skin cancer can often be surgically treated, with radiation therapy used in cases in older patients, people who cannot tolerate surgery, or people for whom surgery was not wholly successful, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information. For some patients, it can be fatal.
Kildee, 64, expressed optimism.
“In a few weeks, I will have surgery to remove the cancer. The prognosis after surgery and treatment is excellent,” he said in a statement. “My doctors have advised me it will take a few weeks to recover after the surgery. I’m eager to have this chapter behind me and get back to work.”…