Sorenson will start treatment, beginning with chemotherapy next week, and surgery is expected by the end of 2019, the company said http://pdf.reuters.com/htmlnews/htmlnews.asp?i=43059c3bf0e37541&u=urn:newsml:reuters.com:20190503:nPn1z9V1Ba.

The cancer was discovered early and does not appear to have spread, Sorenson said in message to employees.

Sorenson, who joined Marriott in 1996, has since held a number of positions besides leading the nearly $14 billion (£10.7 billion) acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide in 2016.

In March, Sorenson apologised before a U.S. Senate panel for a massive data breach involving up to 383 million guests in its Starwood hotels reservation system and vowed to protect against future attacks.

Marriott is scheduled to announce first-quarter earnings next week.

(Reporting by Rachit Vats and Sanjana Shivdas in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Arun Koyyur)