JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert revealed Monday that he had been diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer and would undergo surgery, but he said his condition was not life-threatening and he would stay on the job.
"According to what my doctors have told me, it is a matter of a microscopic growth that hasn't spread and can be removed by a short surgical procedure," Olmert said at a news conference.
He said he had been told there would be no need for radiation or chemotherapy.
Olmert said the surgery was planned "in the next few months," and an aide said it would not occur before U.S.-sponsored peace talks set to begin in November or December in Annapolis, Md.
Olmert, 62, said that while he was not legally obliged to disclose information about his medical condition, he wanted to bring it promptly to the public's attention on his own initiative.
Olmert had a biopsy on Oct. 19 and received the results about a week later, said Dr. Shlomo Segev, one of his physicians.
Olmert took office in January 2006 after his predecessor, Ariel Sharon, suffered a stroke. Sharon has remained in a coma ever since, and his case prompted demands for full medical disclosure by the prime minister.
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