Ex-Senate Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., is recovering from surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his pancreas, his family said in a statement on Monday.
Doctors discovered the tumor early during a routine screening, the statement said.
“His surgeons are confident that the surgery was a success and that the prognosis for his recovery is good,” the statement said. “He will undergo chemotherapy as the next step in his treatment.”
The surgery was done at Johns Hopkins’ specialized pancreatic cancer clinic.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who has been battling brain cancer since doctors found a tumor last year, wished Reid well in a tweet on Monday.
"From one cantankerous senator to another, sending my prayers & best wishes to @SenatorReid as he recovers from a successful surgery," McCain said.
Reid, 78, a one-time amateur boxer and Capitol Police officer from Searchlight, Nevada, served five terms in the Senate, having been elected in 1987. In 2015, an exercise mishap left him with multiple broken ribs and facial bones, and blind in his left eye, according to The Associated Press.
Reid did not run for re-election in 2016.
In an interview with NBC News last month, Reid — who has remained relatively silent in retirement — waded back into national politics, warning his party not to pursue the impeachment of President Donald Trump.
“I say to everybody, stop it,” he said. “I’ve been through impeachment, and they’re not pleasant."
"The less we talk about impeachment," Reid said, "the better off we are.”