Sen. Dodd Has Prostate Cancer

Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., has been diagnosed with an early stage of prostate cancer and intends to have surgery early in August, his office said Friday.

Dodd plans to be back at work when Congress reconvenes in September, according to an e-mail his office circulated to fellow senators. The AP obtained a copy.

Aides also said the diagnosis would not affect Dodd's plans to seek a sixth term in 2010.

Dodd planned to announce the diagnosis at a news conference in Hartford, Conn., Friday afternoon.

Dodd, 65, is chairman of the Senate Banking Committee and also is playing a lead role in Congress' overhaul of the nation's health care system. He took that role while his close friend, Senate health committee Chairman Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., fights his own battle with brain cancer.

Prostate cancer is the most common form of the disease in men in the United States, affecting about 6.4 out of every 100 men in Dodd's age group, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

The e-mail said that a routine test caught Dodd's cancer at an early stage and he is expected to make a full recovery.

Dodd is married to the former Jackie Clegg. They have two young daughters.