MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Lula da Silva hospitalized; cancels activities requiring “extensive use of his voice”

The former president was diagnosed with throat cancer last year

Brazilian former president Lula da Silva was hospitalized Wednesday night for a check up and to remove a catheter at Sao Paulo’s state of the art Sirio-Libanes Hospital, reported medical sources.

Lula da Silva is being treated for throat cancer at the hospital since he was diagnosed last year. He underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy and doctors considered his recovery “impressive”. Doctors also stated then that the tumour in his larynx had shrunk by 75% in size.

Hospital sources say no lumps were detected at Lula da Silvs’s larynx during the routine exams.

“Only a small infection was detected where the radiotherapy was used,” sources informed.

Lula da Silva’s institute said he was in good health condition and that the hospitalization was previously scheduled, not configuring as an emergency.

In a statement to the press, Lula da Silva's institute also informed he was cancelling all activities requiring the “extensive use of his voice” including all his Rio + 20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development commitments.