Powell undergoes cancer surgery

US secretary of state Colin Powell today had surgery for prostate cancer.

Doctors at the Walter Reed Army Medical Centre in Washington said the 66-year-old has an "excellent chance" of making a full recovery.

He is understood to have learned he was suffering from the disease several months ago and told President Bush last month. Mr Powell is expected to spend two days in hospital and will carry out a much reduced workload until after Christmas.

Five years ago he appeared in a video to raise awareness about the disease for the American Cancer Institute.

In October it was revealed that Robert De Niro was also suffering from prostate cancer. He underwent surgery this month and is expected to make a full recovery.

The disease is the third most common among men, with half a million new cases discovered each year.

It is among the most treatable of cancers if it is caught in an early stage. But it is nearly the top killer among men, causing 25, 000 deaths in the UK alone, because men are often reluctant to be tested.