Mitt Romney — who is said to be eyeing a bid for U.S. Senate from Utah — was treated last summer for prostate cancer, two sources close to the former presidential candidate told NBC News Monday.
Romney’s treatment, which involved surgery at the University of California-Irvine Medical Center, was successful, and he has a good prognosis, the sources said.
"Last year, Governor Mitt Romney was diagnosed with slow-growing prostate cancer," an aide to Romney told NBC News. "The cancer was removed surgically and found not to have spread beyond the prostate."
News of Romney's cancer treatment was first reported by CNN.
Romney is said to be seriously considering running for the Senate seat being vacated by Utah Republican Orrin Hatch, who announced last week he would retire at the end of his term this year.
The former Massachusetts governor and presidential candidate has a home in Utah and deep ties to the state, including through his Mormon faith.
In a short statement on Facebook he posted after Hatch's announcement, Romney thanked Hatch for his service but didn't mention whether he would run.
According a poll commissioned by The Salt Lake Tribune in October, nearly half of Utah residents — 44 percent — backed Romney to replace Hatch out of several potential candidates.
If he ran and won, Romney, an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump, could become a powerful foe of the White House in the Senate GOP caucus. However, a Romney confidante said it is unlikely he would take that approach.
"I think people will probably be surprised at his willingness to support the president," one former top aide said. "He'll be a call it like he sees it kind of a guy — he'll say good things or harsh things depending on the situation."
