PHOENIX – Sen. John McCain will undergo surgery Wednesday to treat a benign enlargement of his prostate, his office announced.
The surgery will be performed at Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix on the senator's 65th birthday.
McCain is expected to be hospitalized one or two days.
Enlargement of the prostate is common among older men and can lead to urinary difficulties.
Under the procedure McCain will undergo, a scope is used to reach the prostate, said Dr. Ron Israeli, director of urologic oncology at Staten Island University Hospital in New York. Enlarged prostate tissue blocking the urethra is then cut away.
"The procedure is not very serious and is fairly common," Israeli said.
The former Republican candidate for president underwent surgery last August to remove melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, from his temple and upper arm. McCain's office said checkups since then have found no further signs of cancer.
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