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SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah state senator is beginning radiation treatments this week to treat a "quite aggressive" form of prostate cancer.
Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, told KSL-TV on Monday he thought he was "in the clear" after his prostate was removed in December 2020, but recent tests have shown the cancer isn't gone.
"I don't have a prostate," Weiler joked, "but I still have prostate cancer."
Weiler said after a recent DNA test, doctors determined there were remaining cancer cells that are "quite aggressive." Accordingly, he said he will begin radiation treatment on Thursday, lasting an hour a day for 38 days.
Despite doctors' concern, Weiler said he's optimistic the treatment will be successful, and he called this a "short-term setback."
"I should be fine. This is mostly preventative," Weiler said. "They don't think it's started spreading yet."
However, he added, "It's likely to spread if it goes untreated."
Weiler, an attorney who has served in the Utah Senate since 2012, said he does not plan to resign his seat and will continue campaigning for reelection in Senate District 8 where he faces two Republican challengers, Ronald Mortensen and Brady Tracy. The Republican Party state convention takes place next month.
