CARACAS (AFP) – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez admitted to having had a cancerous tumor removed, ending weeks of speculation over his condition and unprecedented absence from public life.
“Studies confirmed the existence of a tumor with cancerous cells,” Chavez said in his first televised address since being rushed to hospital in Cuba three weeks ago.
The 56-year-old firebrand anti-American leader was hospitalized June 10, two days into a state visit, for what Venezuelan officials initially said was treatment for a painful pelvic abscess.
Revealing for the first time the real gravity of his condition, Chavez said a first operation to treat the abscess had uncovered the cancerous tumor and a second operation had been deemed necessary to remove the cancerous cells.
He did not reveal where the tumor was found or what type of cancer was detected.
In the emotional late night address, broadcast live in Venezuela, Chavez expressed hope for a full recovery
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