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Summit County Executive Russ Pry has been diagnosed with colon cancer.

(Gus Chan, The Plain Dealer)

AKRON, Ohio - Summit County Executive Russ Pry has been diagnosed with colon cancer following a routine colonoscopy, his office said Monday.

Laparoscopic surgery to remove the tumor is scheduled for Tuesday at Akron General Medical Center.

Pry, 58, intends to spend the next six weeks recovering and plans to return to work when Summit County Council returns from summer recess on Aug. 1.

In the interim, the day-to-day operations of the office will be handled by chief of staff Jason Dodson, in consultation with Pry.

Last week, during a routine colonoscopy and subsequent testing, doctors determined that Pry has a cancerous tumor. A CT Scan indicates the tumor has not spread beyond his colon and is not Stage 4.

"I would like to encourage those who are due for a colonoscopy to do it now, early detection is extremely important," said Pry in a statement. "I am grateful for my doctors and for the exceptional medical care."

Non-stage 4 colon cancer is typically curable, particularly for men and women in their 50s, the county said.

People with colon cancer that hasn't spread can have a five-year survival rate as high as 92 percent, according to the American Cancer Society.

Pry has been Summit County executive for nearly nine years.