Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shared on Friday that he had completed treatment for early-stage prostate cancer that had been discovered during a routine medical appointment a few months ago.
The prime minister underwent targeted radiation therapy at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem before comprehensive tests, including imaging and blood tests, showed that the cancer had been completely removed.
His doctor at Hadassah, Professor Aharon Popovzer, stated that Netanyahu is considered to have made a full recovery.
Adenocarcinoma, the form of cancer Netanyahu was treated for, is the most common type of tumor that can be found in the prostate, developing within the glandular cells that produce fluids.
Located beneath the bladder and wrapping around the urethra, the prostate gland is part of the male reproductive system that functions mainly to produce and secrete semen.
Prostate cancer is considered to be a quiet disease in its early stages, often not even causing noticeable symptoms or pain. Many men only discover its presence through blood tests for PSA protein levels or through periodic physical exams.
Prostate cancer is common in men the prime minister's age, with data showing that the prevalence of the disease increases dramatically with age. Further, statistics indicate that more than 50% of men over the age of 80 carry cancerous cells in the prostate without it affecting their health.
Most of the tumors develop at an extremely slow pace, so patients often die of other causes before the cancer causes significant damage. For many public figures, the tendency is to immediately treat any suspicious findings in order to remove doubts regarding their medical future.
In fact, the small size of Netanyahu's tumor (0.9cm large) indicated that it had not spread outside of the prostate gland, which in turn significantly improved his chance of making a full recovery and preventing damage to nearby organs.
Why was radiation therapy chosen for Netanyahu?
Doctors offered Netanyahu two main treatment options: close medical monitoring without immediate intervention or modern radiation therapy.
Netanyahu opted for radiation therapy, which aims to damage the genetic material of cancer cells and prevent them from dividing while ensuring that the healthy tissues around the gland receive maximum protection from radiation.
This form of treatment is highly effective for treating the early stages of prostate cancer, with very high survival and recovery rates for those who manage to detect and treat the disease early.
In Netanyahu’s case, the tumor was very small, meaning that the likelihood of the cancer cells escaping the gland was very low.
As the targeted radiation therapy was designed to destroy all malignant cells within the gland, when tests show no remaining evidence of the cancer, the risk of it coming back is considered minimal.
Although there is always a small theoretical risk in medicine, medical follow-up is intended to ensure that any changes are immediately detected.
Medical data worldwide shows that in men treated at such an early stage, the disease typically does not return to threaten their lives. Early detection is the key to preventing recurrence.
It is important to emphasize that targeted radiation therapy for the prostate does not cause general immune suppression, as chemotherapy treatments do.
Netanyahu's immune system was not affected by the treatment, so he is not considered to be in an immunosuppressive state and is not at increased risk of infections or other diseases due to the treatment.
As such, according to his doctor, the prime minister can continue to function normally, without any medical restrictions. The treatment is also not expected to impact his cognitive or physical ability needed to manage state affairs.
Although tests show full recovery, the treatment protocol requires an ongoing yet standard follow-up, as is common in oncology.
The follow-up includes periodic blood tests to measure protein levels and ensure that there is no evidence of cancer cell recurrence. This follow-up is an integral part of managing the condition after treatment, but it does not require hospitalization or further invasive procedures.