Sen. Klobuchar says she had breast cancer; doing well now

MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar announced Thursday that she has been treated for breast cancer that was found in February and the treatment “went well.”

Klobuchar, 61, tweeted that the cancer was detected during a routine mammogram, and eventually she had a lumpectomy to remove it. She said she completed radiation therapy in May amid a busy hearing schedule, including one treatment two days after her father died. A checkup in August found she was doing well. She told ABC’S “Good Morning America” that she’s “feeling much better” now.

Klobuchar’s announcement made no explicit statement on her future, but said the cancer “gave me renewed purpose to my work.”

Klobuchar said her cancer was stage 1A, meaning it had not spread beyond the breast. She said she felt fortunate to have caught it early because she had delayed her mammogram because of the pandemic.

“Now they tell me that my chances of getting cancer again are the same as any other person, which is great,” Klobuchar said on ABC.