Argentinean President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner underwent a successful surgery Wednesday to remove her cancerous thyroid gland, her spokesman said. According to CNN, the president experienced no problems during the three-and-a-half hour operation.
Fernandez woke up from the surgery in a post-operation room where she will recover for 72 hours, spokesman Alfredo Scoccimarro said. Flags and banners expressed their support for the president outside her hospital, 35 miles from Buenos Aires.
During the surgery, doctors took tissue samples from her lymph nodes to analyze their health. Washington-based oncologist Elmer Huerta told CNN that the next report on the president could be expected within the next two weeks.
“Now they are going to study them,” Huerta said of the tissue samples. “That’s why it is very important that we wait for the next report, which will be in about 10 days.”
The 58-year-old Fernandez was in the first month of her second four-year presidential term when doctors discovered she had papillary carcinoma in her thyroid. After investigation, the growth was found to be limited to the gland, not having spread to her lymph nodes or beyond. She underwent surgery at the Austral Hospital and turned over power to Vice President Amado Boudou in the interim. He will remain in power until January 24.
CNN noted that papillary carcinoma is the most common form of thyroid cancer, with 95 percent of afflicted adults surviving at least 10 years. Treatment could include surgery, radioactive iodine or medication, the U.S. National Library of Medicine says.
