U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has prostate cancer and his recent undisclosed hospitalization was for surgery and later to treat an urinary tract infection related to that operation, doctors said Tuesday.
Austin, 70, was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Dec. 22 and underwent surgery to treat the cancer. Austin developed the infection a week later. Senior administration and defence officials were not told for days about his hospitalization or his cancer.
According to the doctors, the cancer was detected when Austin had a regular screening in early December. They said he “underwent a minimally invasive surgical procedure” on Dec. 22