TEL AVIV, October 29 (RIA Novosti) - Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Monday he had prostate cancer, but that it was not life-threatening, and he would continue to perform his duties.
"I have a tumor of the prostate in the very early stages... It is a minor tumor that can be surgically removed. This is not life-threatening and is treatable," he told a news conference.
Olmert said the tumor was revealed during a routine medical examination, and it will not require radiation treatment or chemotherapy
The consulting physicians told the news conference the tumor did not require urgent surgery, and that in such cases surgery to remove the tumor was usually performed no earlier than six weeks after the initial biopsy. Surgeons added that surgery would incapacitate the premier for several days.
Olmert, 62, took office in 2006 after his predecessor, Ariel Sharon, suffered strokes, subsequently falling into a coma. The ex-premier remains hospitalized in intensive care.
The announcement came against the backdrop of Olmert's meetings with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas ahead of a U.S.-sponsored peace conference in Annapolis in November or December.
