WILLMAR - Kandiyohi County Commissioner Harlan Madsen is at home, recuperating from prostate surgery.
The 57-year-old Lake Lillian farmer and 12-year member of the county board had a radical pros-tatectomy on Monday at Rice Memorial Hospital.
His entire prostate was removed in the procedure. Madsen was discharged on Thursday af-ternoon. He said he is trying to follow doctor's orders to rest and that he'll have to "lay low" for 2-3 weeks.
He was informed on Friday that the slow-growing cancer, which had been caught in the early stages, had not spread to any other tissue or lymph nodes.
"All of that is negative," said Madsen in a telephone interview Friday afternoon from his rural Lake Lillian farm home.
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He will not need chemotherapy or radiation and his prognosis for total recovery is 95 percent, he said.
Madsen was diagnosed with prostate cancer in April following a routine checkup. He said his PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) had risen slightly from its normal baseline of 0-2 to a new level of four.
He said anything above 3.5 for a man his age is "suspect."
A biopsy in June showed cancer was present and a decision was made to have surgery.
Madsen, who is known for studying issues thoroughly and promoting various issues like the danger of methamphetamine, is doing the same with prostate cancer.
He said he's willing to talk to others about the disease and answer their questions. "I am not embarrassed by it," he said.
"Information is power. Ignorance is not bliss."
Madsen is also encouraging all men to get their PSA checked regularly for the sake of their family, community and themselves. He said the test is done with a simple blood test.
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"Get that PSA checked," he said. "It's a matter of health."
He praised his surgeon, Sheila Gemar, and all the staff at Rice Hospital.
