Rep. Glenn Thompson, chair of the House Agriculture Committee, said on Tuesday that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, the second-most common cancer among men. “I will tackle this head-on,” he vowed in a statement.
“After a routine physical and subsequent tests, I was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. While this diagnosis is a surprise, I feel well, and I will continue my work representing the people of Pennsylvania’s 15th District,” said Thompson, 59. Colleagues on the Agriculture Committee expressed support for Thompson as he faced treatment. “I have worked with Chairman Thompson long enough to know that he is made of calm & courage,” said Rep. David Scott, the senior Democrat on the panel, on social media.
Prostate cancer is often treated successfully, said the American Cancer Society. “Other than skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men.” Some 288,300 new cases of prostate cancer and 34,700 deaths are expected in the United States this year, said the society’s website.
Thompson became chair of the Agriculture Committee last January after Republicans won back the House in the 2022 midterm elections. He is serving his eighth term representing a district in north-central Pennsylvania.