Pentagon Finally Reveals Why Defense Secretary Has Been Hospitalized All Year: Cancer Surgery

This article originally appeared on The Epoch Times and was republished with permission.

Guest post by Zachary Stieber

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin underwent surgery in December 2023 for prostate cancer, the U.S. Department of Defense disclosed on Jan. 9.

Doctors from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, identified the cancer through laboratory tests in early December. They decided to perform an operation to treat and cure it. Mr. Austin went to the center on Dec. 22 and underwent a “minimally invasive surgical procedure” to treat and cure prostate cancer, the doctors said. He was under general anesthesia.

Mr. Austin was released the following day.

After experiencing complications including severe abdominal pain, Mr. Austin returned to the hospital on Jan. 1. Doctors diagnosed a urinary tract infection and transferred him to the intensive care unit for close monitoring. Additional evaluation revealed fluid had collected in his abdomen, which affected his small intestines and resulted in a backup of intestinal content. Doctors placed a tube through Mr. Austin’s nose and drained the fluid.

Since then, Mr. Austin has “progressed steadily,” said Dr. John Maddox, trauma medical director, and Dr. Gregory Chesnut, a urology specialist, in a joint statement. The infection has cleared and Mr. Austin is expected to fully recover, “although this can be a slow process,” they said.

Mr. Austin was still hospitalized, in good condition, as of Jan. 9. He has been working, according to military officials.

Prostate cancer refers to cancer that starts in the prostate, a male organ. It affects about 288,000 men per year and has a five-year survival rate of 97 percent, according to the National Cancer Institute.

President Joe Biden did not learn of the cancer diagnosis until Tuesday, John Kirby, a White House spokesman, told reporters in Washington.

“Nobody at the White House knew Secretary Austin had prostrate cancer until this morning,” Mr. Kirby said.

Mr. Kirby declined to detail the president’s reaction to the update.

Mr. Austin did not inform the White House of his surgery and did not notify the White House of his second hospitalization until Jan. 4, three days after it began, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

Read the full story at The Epoch Times.