House

Rep. Kildee says his cancer is ‘gone’

Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich., speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, July 24, 2020, on the extension of federal unemployment benefits. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) announced Wednesday his cancer is “gone” after undergoing surgery for it last month.

“I had a successful surgery to remove the cancer. The good news is—it’s gone. And I won’t need any further treatment, just continued monitoring over the next several years,” he said in a statement.

“Particularly grateful that we caught the cancer so early and I was able to have it taken out,” he added.

The Michigan Democrat was diagnosed in March with squamous cell carcinoma, which he described at the time as a “serious but curable form of cancer.” His office said Kildee had surgery April 17 to remove the cancer and took time to recover at his home.

“It’s going to take a little bit longer for me to get back to 100 percent. But here I am, back in the office and going to work. Not a full schedule yet, but I’ll get there pretty soon,” he said.

Kildee is not the only lawmaker to undergo treatment for cancer in recent months. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) announced in December he was diagnosed with diffuse large B cell lymphoma, which he also called a “serious but curable form of cancer.” He said he was “midway through” his cancer treatments in February.

Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) also revealed in February he had undergone surgery to remove gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors he was diagnosed with last summer.