CHICAGO (Reuters) – while Hugo Chávez is prepared in Cuba for surgery by a new injury that could be carcinogenic, medical experts believe that if it’s a recurrence Venezuelan leader has the potential to cure, although it may feel very tired to keep pace in the campaign towards his re-election.
After declared cured of cancer at the end of October, Chavez said this week that now has an injury to two centimeters in the pelvic area where last year it was mined in Cuba a tumor the size of a baseball.
Doctors say that the possibility of cancer has reappeared is worrying, but that a second surgery will give you another opportunity to heal.
Chavez said that still not be determined if the new injury is carcinogenic, but most doctors believe that you it’s a recurrence.
Richard Schilsky, specialist in gastrointestinal cancer at the University of Medicine of Chicago, said that if the injury were evil and “is located, they can take it out and they have good surgical margins, there is a possibility of between 20 and 25 per cent that can heal”. Schilsky is not trying to Chávez.
Is not yet clear what kind of cancer was the Venezuelan leader, but comments made by Chávez and his advisers suggest that it would have been rectal or bladder, or possibly a soft tissue sarcoma.
Schilsky said that cancers of the colon or rectal sometimes reappear in the pelvis or abdomen.
“Is hard to say without knowing what was the initial tumor.” “The local recurrence of colon cancer is less common than rectal cancer,” said Schilsky.
Dr. Charles Fuchs, director of the program of gastrointestinal Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, said that the rectal cancer is more prone to local to the colon recurrence because the pelvis is a tight area where it is difficult that surgeons obtain clean margins.
“They said nothing about the origin of cancer.” All they know is that a tumor had in the pelvis. After that we had a number of cycles of chemotherapy, presumably about 6. “Do not even know what medications he took with chemotherapy,” said Sunil Bernal, the clinics Caracas hospital oncologist.
Stated that given that Chávez tumor was diagnosed with an infection, a local recurrence would not be a surprise, although it said that the period between the treatment and the new development would be very short.
Treatment
“This could mean that the original chemotherapy was not effective enough, but this is only speculation”, said Bernal. “When opened it (Monday or Tuesday), they will have an idea if this is a local recurrence or something more advanced”, expressed.
If it were a local recurrence of breast cancer, doctors removerÃan the tumor and then used radiation to “sterilize” the area in order to kill any remaining cancer local cells, explained Dr. Michael Pishvaian, specialist in gastrointestinal cancer at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center of Georgetown University.
Radiation usually begins about one month after the surgery and involves a daily treatment, from Monday to Friday, between five to six weeks. This treatment could be extended until mid-May.
Side effects tend to be moderate and localized and fatigue is usually the biggest problem, say doctors.
“Some may return to work the same day, others are severely wearied and need rest all the time,” said Pishvaian.
The doctor added that, if he claimed such treatment, Chavez could go ahead with its activities as Chairman, but “in terms of the rigors of an (election) campaign, that could be very hard for anyone that you are being subjected to radiation”.
“I think he could definitely have an impact in the elections,” commented.
As soon as care will receive in Cuba, Pishvaian Chavez said he has heard that the medical preparation on the island is surprisingly good and widely available treatment that Chavez would need.
(Report additional Girish Gupta in Caracas and Esteban Israel in Sao Paulo)
