Olmert Announced he has Prostate Cancer

29 October 2007

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday announced that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer requiring surgery in the coming months but he vowed to stay in office, confident of a full recovery.

"Following the results of a regular check-up, I was diagnosed with initial signs of prostate cancer," the 62-year-old prime minister told a packed news conference in Jerusalem, looking slightly pale but otherwise healthy.

Olmert, who has always prided himself on his good health and is a renowned sports fanatic, said the surgery was scheduled for the coming months as he and his medical team stressed that his condition was curable.

"I will be able to fully carry out my duties before the treatment and several hours after it," he said. "My doctors told me there is a full chance for a complete recovery.

"This is a microscopic growth, removable through short surgical treatment. According to the medical assessment, there will be no need for chemotherapy or radiation," Olmert said.

"The treatment may have side effects, but they will not limit his duties as prime minister," said Professor Kobi Ramon, Olmert's personal physician and a specialist oncologist.

The biopsy was carried out on October 19 and surgery could not take place for at least six weeks afterwards. The procedure will require three days in hospital, Ramon said, followed by a period of convalescence at home.

"This is a malignant tumour detected at a very early stage. It's treatable and curable," said Shlomo Segev, another of Olmert's personal doctors.