Brazil’s President Lula faces health battle, starts radiation for early-stage skin cancer

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has diagnosed with early-stage skin cancer and has begun preventive radiation treatment. The news was confirmed by doctors at the Sirio-Libanes Hospital and his office on Monday (May 25).

The 80-year-old leader had a basal cell lesion removed on April 24, after which his medical team decided to pursue additional treatment. "It was decided to proceed with complementary treatment with preventive, superficial radiotherapy on the scalp," doctors stated in a medical note, adding that Lula would maintain his daily activities without restrictions. A spokesperson for Brazil's presidency told news agency Reuters the "small" lesion was diagnosed as early-stage cancer, and Lula would undergo 15 radiotherapy sessions to prevent further lesions.

Doctors previously stated the procedure to remove the lesion would have no impact on the president's reelection campaign. Lula is expected to run for a fourth non-consecutive term in October and currently leads the right-wing challenger Flavio Bolsonaro in several opinion polls for a potential second-round runoff.

This is not Lula's first battle with cancer. The president previously fought throat cancer, for which he underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy, before being given the all-clear. The diagnosis adds an unusual political dimension: former President Jair Bolsonaro, recently convicted of leading an attempted coup and sentenced to 27 years in prison, was also separately diagnosed with skin cancer. The two rival leaders had faced each other in the bitterly contested 2022 presidential election.