Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, a key player in health care and banking legislation, said Friday he has been diagnosed with an early stage of prostate cancer.

He told a Hartford news conference that he is "confident we're going to come out of this well," and plans to pursue his bid for a sixth Senate term next year.

Dodd, 65, has been chairing the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in the absence of Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., a close Dodd friend, who is suffering brain cancer.

Dodd plans to undergo surgery next month and return to the Senate when it ends its summer recess Sept. 8.

Here's the senator's full statement, from his 2 p.m. press conference:

Thanks for being here.

I wanted to let you know that I’ve been diagnosed with an early stage of prostate cancer.

It’s something that’s very common among men my age. In fact, one in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point during their life. And that’s why, every year when I get my annual check-up, I get a routine blood test called a PSA.

This year, the results of that test led my doctor to order a biopsy, and that’s how I learned of the disease.

Now, let me say three very important things, and then I’ll be happy to answer your questions.

First, I feel fine. As you have probably noticed, I’m working some long and hard hours lately. And that will continue.

Second, I’m going to be fine. We caught this early. The biopsies I had showed a minimal amount of cancer, and that it hasn’t spread. My prognosis is excellent.

Third, as a Member of Congress, I have good health insurance. I was able to seek the opinions of highly skilled doctors, consider all the available options, and choose the treatment that’s right for me.

When the Senate adjourns at the end of next week, I’m going to have surgery. After a brief recuperation at home, I’ll be back at work.

My hope is that we will pass the Health Care bill that we passed in the HELP Committee in the Senate so that every American will be able to get an annual physical and talk to their doctor about screening so that problems like this can be caught early and treated.”

The following is a statement on Senator Dodd from Dr. Howard Scher:

“Senator Dodd has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. It was found in an early stage and the prognosis for his full recovery is excellent. While there are many treatment options available for people with prostate cancer, after consultation with his physicians the recommended course of treatment for Senator Dodd is surgery. He will have the surgery at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He is expected to return to full activity within a few weeks of the surgery.”