Harry Reid's wife diagnosed with breast cancer

LAS VEGAS - The wife of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has been diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer and is receiving chemotherapy.

Landra Reid, 71, is expected to survive because the cancer was detected early. Reid's office said he will be at his wife's side throughout the treatment process, but that the diagnosis won't affect his work.

"Sen. and Mrs. Reid appreciate the thoughts and concerns expressed during this time," spokesman Zac Petkanas said in a written statement. "They ask that they be afforded the respect and privacy that any family would want."

The diagnosis comes more than a year after Landra Reid and her only daughter were in a violent car crash in Virginia that left her with a broken back, neck and nose. Doctors initially feared she would be paralyzed, but she recovered. The injuries kept her from the campaign trail last year as her husband waged a fierce re-election bid against Republican Sharron Angle, but she did attend his victory party.

Landra and Harry Reid met in high school in southern Nevada and have been married since 1959. They have five children.

The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 230,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. Nearly 40,000 of those women die.