McCain enters hospital for prostate surgery

Sen. McCain, speaking to reporters outside the Mayo Clinic on Wednesday morning, told them that he was "feeling just fine."

PHOENIX, Arizona (CNN) -- Republican Sen. John McCain joked Wednesday that he had found a "great way to have a birthday party" as he entered a hospital here for prostate surgery -- on the very day he turns 65.

"I'm feeling just fine," McCain said as he entered the Mayo Clinic. The maverick Republican and former presidential candidate said he expected to be released from the facility within "a day or so." He added the health matter was not serious.

"This isn't anything in any way life-threatening," McCain said. "This is a benign situation."

McCain had surgery for skin cancer on his face last summer. "This isn't comparable," he said Wednesday.

Asked how he felt about his prostate surgery being so publicized, McCain laughed and said he was "slightly embarrassed on the onset of old age."

McCain should be out of the hospital after one or two days, according to a statement from the senator's office. McCain plans to rest at his Arizona home over the weekend and return to Washington next week.

The procedure is not related to McCain's history of skin cancer. However, the prostate problem was uncovered during a quarterly cancer checkup on Aug. 17, according to sources. That recent checkup indicated McCain's body is free of cancer -- marking the fourth check in a row to show him as being cancer-free.

Doctors did discover, however, that McCain's prostate was enlarged and was pressing against his bladder, causing bleeding and the formation of bladder stones.

Wednesday, doctors planned to remove part of his prostate to relieve that pressure and remove the stones.

McCain arrived in Arizona late Tuesday after wrapping up a whirlwind, five-day trip through Eastern Europe.

-- CNN Congressional Correspondent Kate Snow in Washington contributed to this report