Doctors have criticized the Pentagon for calling Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's recent medical procedure to treat prostate cancer an “elective” surgery, saying the characterization is misleading.
The 70-year-old defense secretary was hospitalized on January 1 for complications from what authorities still call an “elective” medical procedure, which was later determined to be related to prostate cancer. The Pentagon chief's cancer diagnosis was made public on Tuesday. The administration had previously only revealed on Friday that Mr. Austin had been hospitalized earlier in the week.
The Biden administration has been tough on the response to Mr. Austin's absence, particularly on issues of transparency, and it is now clear that Mr. Austin underwent an “elective” surgery last week, when the details of his medical condition were not fully known. He has faced backlash for telling the public what happened.
Fox News contributor Dr. Mark Siegel said in an interview with Fox News Digital on Tuesday that Austin's prostatectomy is “technically an elective surgery,” but that characterization is misleading.
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U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin descends the steps of the Pentagon to greet Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolak on December 4, 2023 in Arlington, Virginia. Ciolak and Austin were scheduled to meet to discuss various bilateral issues. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“Elective is divided into emergency and non-urgent. The word elective is misleading because we think of elective primarily to mean nasal surgery. This is prostate cancer.” Siegel said. “Not all prostate cancers are surgically treated, but we decided to have it removed because the biopsy showed it was probably aggressive,” he said.
Siegel said it's misleading to call Austin's prostate cancer surgery a minimally invasive procedure.
“The da Vinci robot is technically considered a minimally invasive surgery, but that means it's a minor surgery. It would be better to define Austin's surgery as a robotic prostate surgery. Sho.”
“but Even with great advances in our technology, undergoing anesthesia and general surgery is not a walk in the park and must be taken very seriously,” Siegel said.
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The briefing focused on U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's prostate cancer treatment and the delay in reporting to the White House. (Joshua Roberts/Getty Images)
FOX News contributor and radiologist Dr. Nicole Safier told FOX News Digital that she does not consider cancer surgery to be an option.
“Everyone would think that cancer treatment is not elective, but as we have learned with COVID-19, the definition of elective differs greatly from a doctor's and patient's perspective. was delayed during the early stages of COVID-19,” Dr. Safia said. When all elective proceedings are pending. ”
I do not believe that cancer surgery is elective.
“Ultimately, cancer is life-threatening, so calling cancer treatment elective is a big semantic debate,” she says.
“While my personal opinion as a cancer expert and human being is that I do not consider cancer surgery to be elective, the reality is that his prostate cancer is not immediately life-threatening at this time. There wasn’t,” Dr. Safia said. “So he was able to schedule non-emergency outpatient care.”
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin testifies before the Senate Appropriations Committee at the Capitol on October 31, 2023 in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Senator/File)
Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder defended the use of “elective surgery” at a news conference Tuesday, leaving it up to medical experts.
”“We will defer to the judgment of the medical community on this matter,” Rider said, adding, “Again, we released this information as soon as we received it. So, I refer back to this statement and will continue to do so.” I'm going to use that as a baseline when explaining it.”
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Ryder said doctors in Austin had previously defined his surgery as elective and that the Pentagon's initial statement was written after consulting with doctors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
“To my knowledge, the original statement was adjusted in consultation with the attending physician,” Ryder said.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issues a joint statement with Israeli Defense Minister Job Gallant after talks regarding Israel's military operations in Gaza, December 18, 2023, in Tel Aviv, Israel. (AP Photo/Maya Areruzzo/File)
After Austin's surgery, he was hospitalized due to “complications,” Ryder said on Friday, Jan. 5.
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White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and NSC Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby speak during a media briefing at the White House on January 9, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Joshua Roberts/Getty Images)
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers on Tuesday announced a formal investigation into the lack of transparency surrounding Austin's hospitalization.
“With wars going on in Ukraine and Israel, the idea that the White House or even your own vice president did not understand the nature of your condition,” Rogers said in a letter to Austin on Tuesday. This is clearly unacceptable,” he wrote.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin participates in a meeting with Italian Defense Minister Guido Crossetto at the Pentagon on June 23, 2023 in Arlington, Virginia. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Siegel said Austin should use the experience as a “great teaching moment” to raise public awareness about prostate cancer.
“this “It was supposed to be a great teaching moment for Black Americans, given the fact that they are 2.5 times more likely to develop prostate cancer and 2.5 times more likely to die from it,” Siegel said.
“I would have liked to see the Secretary of Defense come out to raise public awareness rather than hide, and that was still possible,” he said.
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U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks during the plenary session of the 19th International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's annual defense and security forum, Saturday, June 11, 2022, in Singapore. (AP Photo/Danial Hakim)
Austin was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on December 22nd and underwent surgery to treat cancer. He developed an infection a week later.
Biden and other administration officials were not informed of his hospitalization or cancer for days.
Doctors said the cancer was discovered when Austin underwent a routine check-up in early December.
His prostate cancer was detected early and his prognosis was good.
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The Pentagon did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
