Hugo Chávez' condition in dispute after his latest cancer treatment in Cuba

Cured, or returning home to die?

Caracas - President Hugo Chávez returned home to the Venezuelan capital last night, after yet another round of cancer surgery in Cuba. Chávez traveled to Havana the last week of February for removal of malignant tissue, the details of which he has not disclosed. Sources say it was a colon tumor. The president was diagnosed in 2011 and has undergone extensive treatment in Cuba since last June, including surgery and chemotherapy.

A former U.S. diplomatic official who claims to have direct access to inside medical information about the case says the tumor was not removed. Either it was determined to be inoperable, or the recovery period would have been extraordinarily long and Chávez refused to consent. The official also described the medical team, which includes both Cuban doctors and foreign physicians, as being in serious disagreement about what, if anything, to do next for the 57 year old three-term president, who took office in 1999. Surgeons encountered a tumor more than twice the size they had anticipated, he said.

Venezuela holds a presidential election in October. Chávez is an announced candidate. The U.S. source, who was quoted in today's El Nuevo Herald, a Miami Spanish language newspaper, says the Venezuelan leader decided to return home, consolidate his political base and prepare for death, which could well occur before the election given his terminal condition. The official offered no theory on who might replace Hugo Chávez as his party's nominee, but suggested the president will decide on a potential successor soon. "Chávez has accepted the fact that he's dying, and wants to dedicate what little energy he has left to a strategy of succession," he said.

Chávez presented a very different account of the surgery. He says it was successful, that the diseased tissue was removed and that he is well on the way to a complete recovery. In a statement upon arrival last night Chávez told supporters, "I've promised you I'm going to live, and we're going to live and we're going to keep on winning."

More details on Hugo Chávez' long dance with cancer are in the posts below.

Update Mar. 25: Chávez returned to Havana late last night to begin another round of chemo. "With God's will everything will turn out fine," he told reporters aboard the flight. There's no indication how long Chávez will be in Havana, where the Pope arrives Mar. 27. It will be interesting to see if their paths cross.

Update Apr. 1: Chávez left Cuba Mar. 29, but returned again last night (Mar. 31) for more chemo. He'll continue this cycle for several weeks, it appears. After each round of chemo he has to wait a few days before receiving the next.

Chávez returns to Cuba for more surgery: http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.mx/2012/02/chavez-returns-to-cuba-for-more-surgery.html.
Hugo Chávez has but nine months to live: http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.mx/2012/01/hugo-chavez-has-but-nine-months-to-live.html.

Cuban president Raul Castro greets Hugo Chávez' on his arrival in Havana Saturday evening, March 24.