Dr. Benjamin S. Carson, renowned chief of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, underwent a two-hour operation at Hopkins yesterday for prostate cancer and should be ready to go home by Saturday, his surgeon said.
Although tests indicating whether the cancer had spread will take a few days to complete, Dr. Patrick Walsh said, the disease appeared confined to the prostate gland. If lab studies confirm that, he said, the possibility for a cure will be high.
"Everything looked good," said Walsh, Hopkins' chief of urology. "I've said I think this is a curable cancer, and everything today looked compatible with that."
Carson, 50, is known for performing complicated brain operations for cancer, epilepsy and congenital malformations, and for separating twins joined at the head. He also has written and spoken widely on the roles education and a belief in God played in his rise from poverty.
During the next few days, doctors will assess Carson's health and determine if further treatment is necessary, a spokeswoman said. He could return to work part time in three weeks and full time in five to six weeks, Walsh said.