Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong diagnosed with prostate cancer
Leader will undergo a procedure today and doctors expect him to make a full recovery
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, but indications are that it is fully treatable and he will be back at work after one week, his office said.
This is the second time that Lee, who turned 63 just last week, has suffered cancer. But doctors said the latest bout was unrelated to the lymphoma that was first discovered in 1992 when he was deputy prime minister.
The news comes in the midst of a more politically contentious environment in Singapore. His ruling People's Action Party (PAP) suffered its worst showing since independence in the last general election in 2011, claiming 60 per cent of the popular vote.
Lee's recovery from this latest bout of illness is urgent with the party and opposition gearing up for what many see as another watershed election.
His office said yesterday that Lee would undergo a robot-assisted keyhole procedure to remove his prostate gland today.
Lee discovered he had the cancer when he went for tests last month and was "expected to recover fully", his office said, citing data from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre that showed patients with a similar medical profile and treatment had a cancer specific survival rate of 99 per cent at 15 years.