Doctors: No cancer after all in Argentine president
By Mariano Castillo, CNN
updated 11:40 AM EST, Sat January 7, 2012
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner underwent surgery this week to remove her thyroid.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- President Fernandez underwent surgery this week
- Doctors now say she never had cancer
- Post-surgery tests led them to modify the diagnosis
(CNN) -- Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, who underwent surgery this week to remove her thyroid, did not actually have cancer, her spokesman said Saturday.
Fernandez underwent the procedure for what doctors said was papillary carcinoma in her thyroid gland.
A post-surgery examination, however, showed that there were no cancerous cells, and the original diagnosis of cancer has been discarded, spokesman Alfredo Scoccimarro said.
Fernandez was released from the hospital and will continue her recovery from the presidential residence, he said.
"We thank God and all the Argentinean people for the blessings received," Fernandez said on her Twitter account Saturday morning.
Given the new diagnosis, planned radiation therapy will not be necessary, the spokesman said.
Her 3 1/2-hour operation had been called a success without complications.
Hundreds of supporters had waved flags and banners outside the Austral Hospital, located about 60 kilometers (35 miles) from Buenos Aires.
Before the operation, Fernandez handed over power to Vice President Amado Boudou until January 24.
Fernandez, 58, was sworn in for a second four-year term last month after she won re-election with more than 54% of the vote.
She became Argentina's president in 2007. Her husband, Nestor Kirchner, was president from 2003 to 2007. He died in October 2010.
During Fernandez's presidency, Argentina's economy has enjoyed sustained growth of about 8% annually.
CNN's Claudia Dominguez contributed to this report.
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