* President expected to remain in hospital 2-3 days
* Surgery was performed under local anesthesia
BOGOTA, Oct 3 (Reuters) - Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos' surgery for non-aggressive prostate cancer was successful and the 61-year-old is recovering in the hospital, his medical team said on Wednesday.
Midway through his four-year term, Santos surprised the Andean nation on Monday by announcing that doctors had discovered a cancerous growth. He said the disease had been caught in time and there was minimal risk.
"The surgery took place without problems whatsoever ... recovery is taking place now," Santos' urologist Felipe Gomez told reporters outside the Fundacion Santa Fe hospital in northern Bogota where the operation took place.
Gomez made the comments roughly five hours after Santos checked into the hospital.
"The time has come. Here I am going in. I'm optimistic. God willing, everything will be fine," Santos told reporters before the surgery.
Santos' treatment will not require chemotherapy, Gomez has previously said, and the president will likely spend two to three days in the hospital, while a complete recovery will likely take up to three weeks.
The father of three is not allowed to travel during his recovery, but will be able to carry out his official duties.
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