US tycoon Warren Buffett announced that he has early-stage prostate cancer, and indicated he had no intention of stepping down as head of his investment firm Berkshire Hathaway.
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Buffett, a larger-than-life financier known as the "Oracle of Omaha" for his investment savvy, said: "I feel great."u00a0
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With his big glasses and preference for Cherry Coke, Buffett is known for his humble manner and modest tastes despite amassing billions as the mastermind and chief executive of Berkshire.u00a0
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In a letter to his company's shareholders, released yesterday after the stock markets closed, Buffett disclosed he had been diagnosed with Stage I prostate cancer last Wednesday and would undergo radiation treatment beginning in mid-July.u00a0
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Warren Buffett
Imaging tests revealed no cancer elsewhere in his body, the ebullient 81-year-old investor said.u00a0
"The good news is that I've been told by my doctors that my condition is not remotely life-threatening or even debilitating in any meaningful way," he said.u00a0
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Buffett said that he and his doctors had decided on a two-month treatment of daily radiation, which would restrict his travel "but will not otherwise change my daily routine." "I feel great -- as if I were in my normal excellent health -- and my energy level is 100 percent," he said.u00a0
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The cancer was discovered during a routine medical check-up that showed an unusually large jump in his blood level of PSA -- a protein that is a prostate-specific antigen produced by the cells of the prostate gland.u00a0
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The prostate is a small structure, the size of a walnut, that is part of the male reproductive system. "A biopsy seemed warranted," Buffett said.u00a0
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Prostate cancer is the most frequent cause of death from cancer in men over age 75, according to US official data.u00a0
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But it is relatively slow-growing compared with other forms of cancer, raising the chances of death from old age or another illness.u00a0
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"I will let shareholders know immediately should my health situation change," Buffett said. "Eventually, of course, it will; but I believe that day is a long way off," he said. Berkshire shares rose 1.4 percent Tuesday but were down 1.8 percent in post-market trading.
