(CNN Spanish) — Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso confirmed to members of his cabinet that he received a diagnosis of melanoma days following undergoing surgery for an eyelid injury, and that he will travel to Houston, United States, for care and treatment, he told CNN. a high government source with knowledge of the health of the head of state.
Lasso shared the news with his ministers in a chat. CNN had access to these messages exchanged with his cabinet:
“On July 29 of this year I underwent surgery for a lesion on my right eyelid suspected of being a basal cell carcinoma (lesion that is curative following removal). However, the detailed response of the pathologist reported that it was a melanoma. This type of injury, according to local doctors, requires interdisciplinary management, exploration and treatment strategies that are very well organized in other international reference hospitals,” the president wrote.
Lasso added that he will travel to Houston on Tuesday, August 16, to carry out the “corresponding studies.”
President Guillermo Lasso of Ecuador arrives at the Microsoft Theater for the opening ceremonies of the IX Summit of the Americas on June 8, 2022 in Los Angeles, Calif. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“I wish to inform you that according to the law it is up to the Armed Forces. the security of the president, both in Ecuador and abroad, and that within their corresponding codes the convenience of traveling on the presidential plane is stated. I have declined that right or provision; the trip is for personal reasons and I will do it by my own means. What I cannot avoid is the company of the minimum security personnel, ”said the president in his communication.
CNN has requested over the weekend and this Monday from the Ministry of Communication more details of the medical situation of President Lasso, but so far we have not received a response.
According to the American Cancer Society, melanoma is a type of skin cancer that begins when melanocytes (the cells that give skin its tan or brown color) begin to grow out of control.
The Communication Secretariat of the Presidency had already reported this Saturday that the president would travel to Houston from August 16 to 21 to undergo additional tests for the eyelid surgery performed in Ecuador.
This is the second time Lasso has traveled to the United States for medical treatment.
In June of last year, he underwent a moderately complex spine operation to remove a cyst in the lumbar area caused by medical malpractice that occurred years ago.
After that surgery, the Ecuadorian president stopped using a cane and according to the Government, his mobility has improved.