Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett said Friday he has completed his final radiation treatment for prostate cancer.
Speaking to a group of executives from the newspapers he's acquired in recent months, Buffett said, “It's a great day for me. Today I had my 44th and last day of radiation.”
Buffett, 82, had disclosed in April he was diagnosed with Stage 1 prostate cancer. At the time, he said his case “is not remotely life-threatening or even debilitating in any meaningful way.”
Buffett started daily radiation treatments at the Nebraska Medical Center in mid-July. He said they would hinder his travels for about two months.
The diagnosis was a reminder that the day will come when someone else will take his job leading Berkshire, and it prompted some calls for him to be more transparent about his succession plan.
At Berkshire's annual meeting in May, he said his four doctors (all Berkshire shareholders, he pointed out) laid out the treatment options and give him a 99-plus percent chance of living at least another decade with the disorder.
“In all seriousness, it is a non-event,” Buffett told shareholders.
Stage 1 prostate cancer does not cause symptoms, according to the American Joint Committee on Cancer. It is estimated that half of 90-year-old men have it. One study showed that men diagnosed with early prostate cancer have a survival rate of 87 percent after 10 years and their overall survival rate is about the same as men without prostate cancer.
Buffett joked with executives about planning live to be the oldest man alive. He expressed relief to have completed the radiation treatments.
“I'll be feeling the side effects for a few weeks yet, but I am so glad to say that's over,” he said.
The Omaha World-Herald Co. is owned by Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
Treatments for Cancer Completed, Buffett Says
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: September 16, 2012
Warren E. Buffett says he is done with radiation treatments for prostate cancer, and the prominent investor seems eager to return to work.
Mr. Buffett, the chairman and chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway, broke the news on Friday while speaking to a group of executives from newspapers his company owns. “It’s a great day for me. Today I had my 44th and last day of radiation,” he said, according to The Omaha World-Herald, which is one of those newspapers.
Mr. Buffett disclosed in April that he had received a diagnosis of prostate cancer. At the time, he said the disease was detected early and was not life-threatening.
Any discussion of Mr. Buffett’s health raises questions about how long he can keep running his investment vehicle, Berkshire Hathaway. Mr. Buffett turned 82 three weeks ago and celebrated by giving away more of his $44 billion fortune to his three children, for their charitable foundations.
At the time, Mr. Buffett said that he was feeling fine and that his decision was not related to his health. Instead, he wanted to reward his children for the progress of their foundations on such issues as ending violence against women and helping farmers in impoverished nations. Mr. Buffett has already pledged to give away most of his personal fortune to charity.
Mr. Buffett has disclosed some elements of his succession plan at Berkshire. He said in February that he had identified his successor as chief executive, but did not name that person. Two former hedge fund managers hired by Mr. Buffett in recent years will eventually take over running the company’s vast investment portfolio.
In addition, Mr. Buffett wants the elder of his two sons, Howard, to succeed him as nonexecutive chairman.
