Secretary of State Sam Reed has kidney cancer

Secretary of State Sam Reed has been diagnosed with kidney cancer and will undergo surgery at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle on Monday. He is expected to make a full recovery and will return to work after a brief recuperation.

Reed, 69, is in his third term as Washington's 14th secretary of state. He is second in line of succession to the governor.

"Thanks to early detection and diagnosis, my doctors say my prognosis for successful surgery and recovery is excellent," Reed said in a statement released from his office. "Little did I know when I was state fundraising chair for the American Cancer Society that someday it would hit so close to home."

Doctors found a cancerous tumor in his left kidney during diagnostic tests for unrelated abdominal pains that subsequently cleared up. A scan showed that the cancer is confined to the kidney and has not spread to other organs. "The cancer is absolutely curable, and I really lucked out in terms of early detection," Reed said.