Rep. Dan Swanson Details Cancer Battle
Rep. Dan Swanson (R-Alpha) disclosed he underwent prostate cancer surgery in early December.
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Rep. Dan Swanson (R-Alpha) announced his run for re-election to the House yesterday. That, itself, isn’t particularly newsworthy.
But I heard through the grapevine a couple of weeks ago that Swanson has been going through some health problems, so I reached out to him yesterday to see how he was feeling and what was going on.
Swanson revealed to me he underwent surgery in early December for prostate cancer.
Swanson, 62, a retired Lt. Colonel in the Army and farmer in western Illinois, said he was diagnosed with cancer about 4 years ago, but it was mostly under “surveillance” by his medical team at the Iowa City VA and University of Iowa Hospital.
In May, Swanson had a biopsy and doctors determined he needed surgery. Doctors required he lose 30-50 pounds before surgery, not to mention the fact he didn’t want to miss harvest and veto session.
So, in December, he had a robotic surgery at the University of Iowa Hospital to remove his prostate and to have some lymph nodes removed. The best news? About 10 days later, his doctor called to tell him they got everything and there was no need for chemotherapy or radiation.
Swanson said he wants men to know prostate cancer is a real threat and they need to keep tabs on their health.
“Men, follow your prostate numbers, your PSA’s,” he said. “Women are constantly told to check for signs of breast cancer, but men have these same types of issues. We have to educate [more] people about it.”
Swanson says he’s following up with doctors today, but has every anticipation he’ll be in Springfield for the entirety of spring session.
