WORLD
Cancer of Brazil`s Lula in `complete remission`: spokesman
Baku, March 29 (AZERTAC). Former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is in "complete remission" after treatment for larynx cancer, a spokesman for Lula`s foundation said Wednesday. Lula, 66, underwent exams at Sao Paulo`s Sirio-Libanes hospital following radiation therapy sessions.
Doctors have reported that Lula`s cancer was "in complete remission," said Jose Chrispiniano, a spokesman for his Citizenry Institute. His cancer was diagnosed in October. "Nuclear magnetic resonance and laryngoscopy exams show the absence of any visible tumor," the hospital said in a statement, adding that the popular former president would continue to have phonoaudiology sessions and periodic checks.
From New Delhi, where she was attending a summit of the BRICS (Brazil, China, India, Russia and South Africa) bloc of emerging powers, President Dilma Rousseff said her predecessor and mentor had telephoned her to announce the good news. "I am very happy," said Rousseff, who herself recovered from a lymphatic cancer diagnosed in 2009. "I was expecting it. But having the certainty (that Lula is cured) is very good." Earlier this month, Lula, a former smoker, was released from the hospital following treatment for a lung infection.
Doctors say that developing a lung infection is common for someone whose defenses are weak after three cycles of chemotherapy and 33 radiation therapy sessions. The popular ex-president also met at least three times in Sao Paulo with medium and spiritual healer Joao Teixeira de Faria, better known as "John of God," according to the O Estado de Sao Paulo daily. The paper said Lula, a former metal worker and labor leader, approached the self-described medium "to heal his soul." The psychic lives in Abadiania, a small town in the state of Goias, 117 kilometers (70 miles) from Brasilia. Lula, Brazil`s first leftist president, led the country from January 2003 to December 2010. He left office with a soaring 80 percent approval rating after two consecutive terms.
His social programs are credited with helping lift some 29 million Brazilians out of poverty, and his foreign policy helped turn Brazil into a global power player. His leftist Workers Party hopes he will recover fully in time to campaign for its candidates in Brazil`s October municipal elections.