WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., has prostate cancer and will undergo surgery next week, he announced Monday morning.
Tillis, 60, just won a second term in the Senate after previously serving as speaker of the House in the North Carolina General Assembly. Tillis said his prognosis is good.
“I am in the hands of outstanding medical professionals and expect to make a full recovery. I am blessed that my cancer was detected relatively early, and I can’t emphasize enough how important routine screenings are, regardless of how healthy you think you are,” Tillis said in a statement Monday.
“I had no symptoms and would have never imagined I had cancer. My prognosis is good because I went to my annual physical and received a PSA test, which led to a biopsy and eventually my diagnosis. Early detection can truly save lives.”
PSA stands for prostate-specific antigen. It is a blood test that measures levels of PSA produced by the prostate, and high levels of PSA may indicate cancer, according to Duke Health.
Prostate cancer is the second-most common cancer for American men behind only skin cancer. About 250,000 new cases of prostate cancer and more than 34,000 deaths from the disease are expected in 2021, according to the American Cancer Society. The average age for diagnosis is about 66.
There are more than 3.1 million American men living today who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
“As a strong advocate for cancer screenings, I join with Sen. Tillis in encouraging everyone to follow cancer screening recommendations that help save lives every day,” Rep. Richard Hudson, a North Carolina Republican, said in a statement.
The diagnosis has not limited Tillis’ work recently. He traveled to the southern border late last week with nearly 20 GOP senators.
Tillis missed President Joe Biden’s inauguration and several Senate votes in mid-January while recovering from foot surgery. He also tested positive for COVID-19 in October during his reelection bid.
