Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, listens during a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee confirmation hearing for Denis McDonough, U.S. secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) nominee for U.S. President Joe Biden, in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021.
Leigh Vogel | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Sen. Thom Tillis has prostate cancer and will undergo surgery next week to treat it, he announced Monday.
“I am in the hands of outstanding medical professionals and expect to make a full recovery,” the North Carolina Republican said in a statement.
Tillis, 60, won election to his second six-year term in November. The senator said he had no symptoms and the cancer was found early after testing during an annual physical.
“Early detection can truly save lives,” he said.
Tillis traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border last week with a group of Republican senators.
The full Senate will not convene again until mid-April. It is unclear whether Tillis will miss any votes in the Senate, where each major party holds 50 seats.
Before winning election to the Senate in 2014, Tillis served as speaker in the North Carolina state House.
