WASHINGTON: United States Defence Secretary Llyod Austin is being treated for prostate cancer, CNN reported. Quoting a statement from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Tuesday, CNN reported that he suffered certain complications that prompted him to be taken to the hospital on New Year’s Day, where he is still receiving treatment.
According to the statement from the hospital, the cancer was detected in early December and the Defence Secretary underwent a “minimally invasive surgical procedure” on December 22 called prostatectomy to treat the cancer.
“He was under general anaesthesia during this procedure. Secretary Austin recovered uneventfully from his surgery and returned home the next morning. His prostate cancer was detected early, and his prognosis is excellent,” the statement informed further.
It was unclear if Austin had been under anaesthesia during the procedure, which the Pentagon had not previously disclosed and did not alert the White House, CNN reported. The Pentagon had been facing intense questions after it was revealed on Friday that he had been admitted to Walter Reed on January 1 and had been hospitalised for days without notifying the public.
It was subsequently reported that President Joe Biden, senior national security officials and even Deputy Secretary of Defence Kathleen Hicks, who had assumed Austin’s duties, were not aware of his hospitalisation until three days after he was admitted.
On January 1, Austin was readmitted to the hospital due to complications “including nausea with severe abdominal, hip and leg pain,” CNN reported, quoting the hospital. He was found to have a urinary tract infection, the statement added.
Asked why Austin did not disclose that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said the situation was ‘deeply personal’. “It’s prostate cancer and the associated procedures are obviously deeply personal”, Ryder said on Tuesday during a news briefing at the Pentagon.
“And so, again, you know, we’ll continue to work hard to make sure that we’re being as transparent as possible moving forward, and, wish the secretary (a) speedy recovery,” the spokesman added.
For the last eight days of Austin’s time at Walter Reed, treating the infection, he “never lost consciousness and never underwent general anaesthesia,” CNN reported.
Ryder did not answer a question about who decided not to inform Biden that Austin had prostate cancer. “When this happened in December, whose decision was it not to alert the President that the defence secretary had prostate cancer?” a reporter asked during the briefing.
“You know, as far as the situation in terms of what the elective surgery was and the secretary’s condition, we’re providing that information to you as we’ve received it. We received that this afternoon, and we’re providing it to you now”, Ryder said, seeming to imply that he did not know about the diagnosis until the statement from Walter Reed was released on Tuesday. “So, I’ll just leave it there”, he added.
Ryder also declined to say if Austin’s chief of staff, who is being identified as the person who failed to notify officials of Austin’s hospitalisation last week because she had a flu, knew about Austin’s condition.
Ryder did not say if the secretary’s travel would be affected by his procedure or complications, but said Austin is “actively engaged in his duties” and was in regular communication with his staff.
Whether the procedure was considered elective or more urgent is a matter of how soon it needed to take place, Dr. Benjamin Davies, a urologic oncologist and professor of urology at University of Pittsburgh, told CNN.
It may have been characterised as ‘essential’, meaning the procedure should take place within three months, he said, but it wasn’t an emergency situation. The complications the secretary experienced, Davies said, are very rare, with a “less than 1% chance this can happen”.
According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in American men, behind lung cancer. While it can be serious, most men diagnosed with prostate cancer do not die from it, and the death rate has declined sharply over the last few decades. (ANI)