January 05, 2023
Sen. Bob Casey has prostate cancer, his office announced Thursday. The three-term Democratic senator from Pennsylvania received the diagnosis last month.
"While this news came as a shock, I can report that I have an excellent prognosis, as well as the benefit of exceptional medical care and the unwavering support of my family," Casey said in a statement. "In the coming months I will undergo surgery, after which I am expected to make a full recovery.
"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's father, former Pennsylvania Gov. Robert Casey, was also diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1997 and received radiation treatment. The elder Casey's cancer diagnosis followed another diagnosis for familial amyloidosis, a genetic condition that causes abnormal protein build-up, and which required a rare heart-liver transplant at the UPMC Health Center in Pittsburgh in 1993.
Robert Casey died in 2000 at the age of 68 from an infection.
Apart from skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer among American men. There were about 268,490 new cases in the U.S. in 2022.
This article has been updated with additional information on Robert Casey's medical history.
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