CARACAS - President Hugo Chavez revealed Sunday that a new tumor recently removed from his pelvic area was of the same type of cancer as a baseball-sized growth extracted taken from his body about eight months ago.
In his first TV appearance in nine days, Chavez, 57, said the surgery and tests showed the tumor was “a recurrence of the initially diagnosed cancer.’’
He said “the tumor was totally extracted’’ and noted “the absence of lesions suggestive of cancer neither locally, neither in nearby organs, neither far away . . . neither metastasis, none of this thanks to God, to the diagnosis, and rapid intervention.’’
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Chavez said he would spend several weeks recovering and then “we are going to do radiation treatment in the area . . . without discarding other treatment options.’’
“There isn’t fever nor any other sign, neither infection, hemorrhage,’’ he said. He called the post-surgery healing “perfect in relation to the time that’s passed, and we are already doing physical therapy.’’
The Venezuelan leader spoke firmly in footage recorded Saturday in Havana while accompanied by various government ministers and older brother Adan Chavez. The president said his recuperation has been “open, progressive and rapid’’ in the footage aired Sunday in Venezuela.
Chavez said “still it hasn’t been six days because the operation ended on the night of last Sunday.’’ He verified the date of the recording by displaying a Saturday copy of the Cuban government newspaper Granma and the Venezuelan government paper Correo del Orinoco.
“We are very optimistic,’’ he said while seated at an oval conference table.