PM Lee Hsien Loong diagnosed with prostate cancer; will undergo surgery
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and will undergo surgery to remove his prostate gland on Monday (Feb 16).
According to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office, Mr Lee, 63, had undergone an MRI of the prostate, which showed suspicious lesions, in January.
A subsequent biopsy found that one out of 38 samples contained cancer cells.
Mr Lee will undergo a robot-assisted keyhole prostatectomy, which will be carried out by the lead urologist at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH), Professor Christopher Cheng.
The Prime Minister decided on the surgical treatment option on the advice of a panel of doctors led by Prof Cheng and is expected to recover fully.
Mr Lee will be on medical leave for one week. During this period, Mr Teo Chee Hean, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs, and Coordinating Minister for National Security, will be Acting Prime Minister.
Mr Lee was previously diagnosed with lymphoma in 1992 at the age of 40. He underwent chemotherapy and was given the all clear by his doctors in April 1993.
Just yesterday (Feb 14), Mr Lee was in Teck Ghee celebrating Chinese New Year with residents there.
He also uploaded a video he had taken of a Teck Ghee resident riding a unicycle.
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