Washington ? Secretary of State Colin Powell underwent surgery Monday for the removal of a cancerous prostate, and his spokesman said Powell was doing well.

“I’m happy to report that he’s out of surgery, that everything went fine,” State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told an afternoon news briefing. The surgery was performed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here. “The doctors say he had a localized prostate cancer,” Boucher said. There were no complications during the two-hour surgery, Boucher said, and “a full recovery is expected.”

Boucher said the initial diagnosis was made several months ago, as was the choice to schedule surgery. But he offered few medical details, and Walter Reed did not release additional information.

There has been speculation on whether Powell, 66, will stay in his job if President Bush wins a second term. Boucher said the surgery “has no bearing whatsoever” on that question.

Outside specialists said the available information suggests Powell had an early stage cancer and has good prospects for long-term survival.

Prostate cancer is second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer death among men, according to the American Cancer Society. This year, about 28,900 men in the United States are expected to die of the disease with about 220,900 new cases diagnosed.

Powell probably will spend several days in the hospital, Boucher said, and then recuperate at home, where he’ll be on a reduced schedule.