Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, a Democrat, underwent surgery for prostate cancer on Tuesday afternoon and “should not require further treatment,” his office said in a statement.
Senator Casey, 62, who is in his third term, said in early January that he had prostate cancer but expected to make a full recovery. On Tuesday, Mr. Casey’s office said that he looked forward “to getting back to a normal schedule after a period of rest and recovery.” His office did not say when he expected to return to work.
The diagnosis of the cancer in December “came as a shock,” Mr. Casey said last month. But he emphasized at the time that the prognosis was promising and that he was confident that his treatment would allow him to work with “minimal disruption.”
The surgery came a week after Senator John Fetterman, the U.S. Senate’s other Democrat from Pennsylvania, faced his own health challenges, after he had a near-fatal stroke last May while he was campaigning for the Senate seat. Last Wednesday, Senator Fetterman was hospitalized after feeling lightheaded while attending a daylong Senate Democratic retreat in Washington. Initial tests showed no sign of another stroke, but he spent two days in the hospital while doctors ran additional tests and monitored him for seizures, according to a spokesman.
Mr. Fetterman was released on Friday afternoon.
The Pennsylvania senators are key votes in the Democrats’ razor-thin edge in the chamber, and they represent a swing state that has played an outsize role in the past two presidential elections.
The Senate had been split in the previous session of Congress, with Democrats needing to rely on Vice President Kamala Harris to cast the tiebreaking vote.
Senator Fetterman’s victory last fall highlighted a banner year for Democrats in the midterms, when they defied forecasts of a Republican wave of victories in elections across the country. But his health was intensely scrutinized in his race.
Democrats will defend 20 seats in the Senate in 2024, including Mr. Casey’s. Three independents who caucus with Democrats are also up for re-election next year. Republicans will have 10 seats to defend.
