LEAD: Lula's tumour reduced by 75 per cent, doctors say

Dec 12, 2011, 21:39 GMT

Sao Paulo - Brazilian former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is doing very well in treatment of his cancer of the larynx, doctors said Monday as he underwent a third round of chemotherapy.

Doctors at Sirio-Libanes Hospital in Sao Paulo said the tumour has been reduced by 75 per cent, which leads them to rule out surgery.

'This reduction exceeds what we expected, a bit. It was extraordinary, and it even surprised the medical team,' oncologist Artur Katz told a press conference.

Lula, 66, was admitted Monday for the current round of chemo. The left-leaning statesman underwent previous chemotherapy on October 31 and November 21.

Starting in January, he is set to undergo daily sessions of radiation therapy along with chemo for six to seven weeks, oncologist Paulo Hoff said. The radiotherapy 'will totally eradicate the cancer,' Hoff said.

Hoff expects Lula's life to be back to normal in March.

Lula's personal doctor, Roberto Kalil Filho, said the patient was 'very relieved' with the news.

'Before the examination he was obviously very worried,' Filho said. 'When I gave him the news it was a relief.'

Lula said Sunday that he felt 'confident' that the treatment to eradicate the 3-centimetre tumour found on October 29 would be successful.

'I have been optimistic all my life,' he said. 'I think we will win this battle, too.'

Lula was expected to spend the night in hospital and return home Tuesday to Sao Bernardo do Campo, near Sao Paulo.

Lula left office in January after eight years, limited by the Brazilian constitution to two terms. Last month, he shaved his head, as well as the beard that had been his trademark since the 1970s, in anticipation of the side effects of chemotherapy, which often causes hair loss.

His successor, Dilma Rousseff, battled cancer in 2009.

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