Chavez may need chemo, denies cancer spread

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez acknowledged Wednesday he may need chemotherapy for cancer, but he denied that a huge tumor "almost as big as a basketball" had spread to his colon or his stomach. "Since the removal of the tumor, I have had an optimal level of recovery," he told state television VTV by telephone. "We are now entering the second stage and if all goes well, the third step will very likely require radiotherapy or chemotherapy treatments to armor the body against the malignant cells which are threatening it." The 56-year-old firebrand leader was operated on last month in Cuba to remove a cancerous tumor from his pelvic region. He remained on the Caribbean island for a month to recuperate before returning to Venezuela last week. Since his return, he has only made brief appearances on state television to try to scotch rumors of a power vacuum at the top as speculation has swirled that he has cancer of the colon or the stomach. "Some people are saying that four parts of my colon were taken away, that part of my stomach was removed. Nothing like that has happened. It is cancer, but not as some would like," Chavez said "I had a huge tumor, When I saw the picture, I thought 'My God.' It was almost as big as a basketball," he added. On Tuesday, Chavez insisted that despite his recent cancer diagnosis, he had no intention of putting in place a succession plan in place, as he repeated an earlier vow to make a complete recovery. Elected to the presidency three times since 1998, Chavez remains popular among Venezuelans with some 50 percent support according to the polls. "I feel better than ever," he insisted, adding he was learning to delegate work to his cabinet. He said he had lost 14 kilos (28 pounds) in the past month, adding: "I was killing myself. I was as fat as a tank... I was finding it hard to breathe and it was all my fault."