Goldman Chief Blankfein Discloses Curable Lymphoma Disease

Lloyd Blankfein, chief executive officer of Goldman Sachs Group Inc., said he has a “highly curable” form of lymphoma and will undergo chemotherapy over the next several months.

   “My doctors have advised me that during the treatment, I will be able to work substantially as normal, leading the firm,” Blankfein, 61, said Tuesday in a statement. “My doctors’ and my own expectation is that I will be cured.”

   While the statement didn’t give details about Blankfein’s form of lymphoma, there are several types of the cancer, which begins in the body’s immune system. One of the most curable is Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which strikes about 5,000 men in the U.S. each year. Treatment has improved substantially in the past 50 years, with almost 90 percent of patients surviving for at least five years. The most common form is non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a more lethal type that affects 38,000 men annually.

   Blankfein said he underwent a series of tests late this summer after not feeling well and a biopsy last week confirmed lymphoma. He received the final diagnosis midday Monday and notified the board at around 4 p.m., a person familiar with the matter said, asking not to be identified discussing the internal talks.

Πηγή: bloomberg.com