Sarah Huckabee Sanders says she had successful surgery for thyroid cancer

Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Friday that she underwent a successful surgery to remove her thyroid gland and surrounding lymph nodes after learning earlier this month that she had thyroid cancer.

The Arkansas GOP gubernatorial candidate and former White House press secretary said she is now cancer-free.

“I want to thank the Arkansas doctors and nurses for their world-class care, as well as my family and friends for their love, prayers, and support. I look forward to returning to the campaign trail soon,” Sanders said in a statement. “This experience has been a reminder that whatever battle you may be facing, don’t lose heart. As governor, I will never quit fighting for the people of our great state.”

Sanders is running against Democrat Chris Jones for the governor’s mansion. Sanders has significantly outraised her opponent and is expected to sail to victory in the red state come November — POLITICO’s election forecast tool rates the state as solid GOP.

Most thyroid cancer patients can be cured with surgery alone. For patients with localized thyroid cancer, when the cancer is only found in the thyroid, the five-year survival rate is almost 100 percent, according to the American Cancer Society. If the cancer has spread to regional lymph nodes, as it did in Sanders’ case, the five-year survival rate is 99 percent.