NEW YORK: Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Chairman Warren Buffett has been diagnosed with stage 1 prostate cancer and will begin a two-month treatment of daily radiation beginning in July.
Consequently, the 81-year old man will be restricted from his travels during the period, but there is no change in his daily routine.
“I feel great -- as if I were in my normal excellent health -- and my energy level is 100 percent,” Buffett said, who is also chief executive officer of the Omaha, Nebraska-based company, yesterday.
“I will let shareholders know immediately should my health situation change. Eventually, of course, it will; but I believe that day is a long way off,” he added.
The diagnosis is the least severe of four stages of the cancer, which affects 1 in 8 men over the age of 70. The five- year survival rate for local prostate cancer, such as Buffett’s, is close to 100%, according to the American Cancer Society.
“It’s a slowly progressive disease,” said Sean Collins, a radiation oncologist at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center in Washington.
“If someone had a short life expectancy you wouldn’t treat them at all. With a 10-year life expectancy, radiation treatment is a rational decision,” he affirmed. (Bloomberg/t01/aph)
Showing 0 - 0 of 0 comments