Former U.S. Senator Harry Reid diagnosed with cancer

Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who served in Congress for more than three decades, has undergone surgery for cancer, his family said on Monday. His prognosis is described as good.

Reid, who is 78, underwent surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore on Monday to remove the tumor from his pancreas. He will undergo chemotherapy as the next step in his treatment.

“His doctors caught the problem early during a routine screening and his surgeons are confident that the surgery was a success and that the prognosis for his recovery is good,” Reid’s family said in a statement.

The family added: “He is now out of surgery, in good spirits and resting with his family. He is grateful to his highly skilled team of doctors and to all who have sent and continue to send their love and support.”

Reid, a Democrat, served as Lieutenant Governor of Nevada in the 1970s before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1987 he was elected to the Senate, where he served as Whip and Majority Leader. He retired in 2017.