Biopsy confirms that Uruguay's president has lung cancer

Associated Press
FILE - In this Oct. 29, 2018 file photo, Uruguay's President Tabare Vazquez attends a military ceremony in Montevideo, Uruguay. Vazquez announced at a press conference on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2019 that he has been diagnosed with lung cancer. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico, File)

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — A biopsy has confirmed that Uruguayan President Tabaré Vázquez has lung cancer, the presidency said in a statement on Friday.

The statement said that the treatment will be determined by ongoing tests and that Vázquez "is in excellent shape."

Vázquez announced Tuesday that he would undergo treatment because a right pulmonary nodule had been found with clear characteristics that it could be malignant. But he said that he felt good and had not felt any symptoms related to the disease.

The 79-year-old is an oncologist and has often said that he chose the profession after his parents and a sister died from cancer.

Vázquez is set to be in office until March.

During his first presidential term from 2005-2010, Vázquez championed some of the world's strictest tobacco regulations. In 2011, he also wrote a book entitled "Chronicle of a Bad Friend," which included reflections on his experiences fighting cancer and testimonies from his patients.

His wife, María Auxiliadora Delgado, died three weeks ago. Local media said the cause was a heart attack.