New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announces surgery to remove tumor on kidney

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced on Saturday that he will undergo surgery in early March to remove a tumor — likely cancerous — on his left kidney.

“The prognosis is very good and I’m profoundly grateful to my doctors for detecting the tumor early,” Murphy, 62, wrote in a tweet to his nearly 65,000 followers.

The news comes just days before Murphy, a Democrat who is expected to run for reelection next year, is set to propose his third state budget.

Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver will serve as acting governor while Murphy is briefly hospitalized and during his recovery, according to NJ Advance Media. The recovery is expected to last a few weeks.

“During a recent checkup, Governor Murphy’s doctor discovered a three-centimeter-wide tumor on his left kidney," Murphy communications director Mahen Gunaratna said in an email Saturday night. “In early March, the Governor will undergo a partial nephrectomy to remove the tumor. His doctor’s prognosis is that this is fully treatable since the tumor was discovered early.”

In announcing his surgery on Twitter, Murphy said: “Over 50,000 New Jerseyans will hear the words 'you have cancer’ this year, so I’m far from alone here. It’s a situation that far too many families find themselves in. That’s why we’re fighting for them each and every day.”

Gunaratna said news of his tumor has made Murphy "more committed than ever to fighting for these families by standing up for the Affordable Care Act, reducing the cost of health care, and making high-quality health care affordable and accessible to all.”

First lady Tammy Murphy also tweeted a message of support for her husband and health-care access. “I know Phil and he’s a fighter," she wrote. "We’re grateful to his amazing team of doctors who detected this tumor early. Let’s keep fighting to make high-quality health care accessible and affordable for all!”

Murphy, who also serves as chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, is expected to be hospitalized in New York City for two or three days, then recover at home for a few weeks, he told NJ Advance Media.

“I’ve got a 5K — knock on wood — scheduled for April that I fully expect to be running in," he told the news organization, noting that he has experienced no symptoms and also ran a 5K last Sunday.

He said his family has no known history of cancer. The tumor was found during a recent intestinal test.

Staff writer William Bender contributed to this report.