WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Angus King of Maine said on Monday that he intends to undergo surgery on Friday for treatment of prostate cancer, but he hopes to return to work soon after the Senate's July recess.
King, one of only two Independent senators, said his doctors detected the cancer during an annual check-up in April. He said he expects to make a full recovery.
"And no, this does not my affect my intention to run for re-election, except my poor little prostate won't be along for the ride," King said in a press release.
This is the second time that King has been diagnosed with cancer. During a routine screening 40 years ago, he said doctors caught an aggressive form of skin cancer.
According to the American Cancer Society, about one in seven men will get prostate cancer during their lifetime.
The 71-year-old King, the junior senator from Maine, was sworn in January 2013. He served as the governor of Maine for two terms, from 1995 to 2003.