Senator Chris Dodd Diagnosed With Prostate Cancer

Chris Dodd, 65, is chairman of the Senate Banking Committee. He is up for re-election next year.

Chris Dodd is scheduled to undergo surgery during the Senate's August recess. Prostate cancer, when detected early, is highly curable.

Possible treatments could include surgery, radiation, or a type of radiation therapy that uses radioactive seeds planted near the prostate. Surgery would require recuperation time, while radiation treatment would not.

Ironically, Chris Dodd has recently taken charge of the healthcare debate in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, filling in for Senator Ted Kennedy, who has was diagnosed with brain cancer last year.