Cook County Board President Todd Stroger was released from the hospital Wednesday following prostate cancer surgery, and his surgeon sent him off with an excellent prognosis.
“The situation is very favorable, and I think he is going to have a complete and full recovery,” Dr. William J. Catalona said at a news conference. “We know from past experience that patients with this type of prostate cancer do very well.”
Stroger, 44, returned to his South Side home where he was resting after spending two nights in Northwestern Memorial Hospital following the surgery Monday to remove his prostate gland. His recovery is expected to take up to three weeks, but he will continue his duties from home through his chief of staff.
Stroger did not speak to reporters Wednesday, and his office did not issue any statements on his behalf.
Catalona, a specialist in prostate cancer surgery who is on the faculty at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, called Stroger’s tumor “very favorable” and said it was not a problem that he waited 10 months to have his prostate removed. He said Stroger may not need any further treatment.
“I think things look very, very good for him,” Catalona said in a telephone interview earlier Wednesday. “I think he’s going to be fine. I think he’ll return to full steam ,and he’ll have an excellent prognosis.”
Catalona said Stroger likely would not suffer any long-term effects as a result of the surgery. “I think he has a very high likelihood that he is going to recover all his functions,” Catalona told reporters.
The cancer was diagnosed last August during Stroger’s campaign for County Board president, his spokeswoman said Tuesday, but his illness was not disclosed until after he was in the hospital Monday. She said Stroger chose to keep the diagnosis private because he considered it a personal matter.
