SINGAPORE: Former Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong will go for radiation therapy after a biopsy found a nodule in his larynx had squamous cells.
In his latest Facebook update, Goh, 79, said he had been going to the hospital umpteenth times in the last four weeks, first to remove a kidney stone and then to conduct a biopsy on a suspicious nodule in his larynx.
“The nodule had squamous cells. Fortunately, after excision, the MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) of the neck and the CT (computerised tomography) scan of the chest showed no trace of these bad cells.
“Still, I have to go for radiation therapy to be sure that all cancerous cells are killed off.
“It will be 20 sessions over four weeks. What a way to celebrate the festive season!” he wrote.
Goh noted that he was sharing his medical episodes to encourage everyone to go for regular or annual health screenings.
“For those who may experience a lump in the throat and a change in the voice, see an ENT doctor. Ignorance, delay and denial may be costly.
“Spot and treat cancer early. The five-year survival rate is over 90%. Do it after it has spread and the survival rate drops to below 30%,” he wrote at length.
Goh, using his initials GCT, started off his posting by saying “just like the weather these days, it never rains but pours for me, medically”.
He ended it with “my thundery showers will pass. I am looking forward to clear blue skies before the Chinese New Year and more good years thereafter. Season’s greetings and good health to all.”