TUMOR REMOVED:An aide said the former president was concerned about the elections in January and the nation’s future before he went under the knife in Taipei
By Chris Wang / Staff Reporter
Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) was in stable condition after two-and-a-half hours of surgery on Tuesday evening to remove a cancerous tumor in his right ascending colon, Lee’s office and the Taipei Veterans General Hospital said yesterday.
The hospital’s medical team removed the tumor from Lee after the 88-year-old was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma during a regular physical checkup on Monday, the hospital’s chief of surgery, Lee Shou-tung (李壽東), said at a press conference.
Lee Shou-tung said the former president did not require a blood transfusion and the surgery went according to plan. Lee Shou-tung said the tumor removed from Lee Teng-hui’s colon was about 3.5cm by 2.5cm in size and had not reached the outer layer of his colon, the serosa layer, which would have raised concern that the cancer could have spread.
However, further examinations are to be conducted to determine whether Lee Teng-hui requires additional treatment, such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy, Lee Shou-tung said, adding that no signs of metastasis had been observed and the former president is expected to be released from hospital in seven to 10 days.
The former president’s activities and public appearances this month have all been suspended or canceled, Wang Yen-jun (王燕軍), director of Lee Teng-hui’s office, said at a press release.
Lee Teng-hui would have to decline all requests to meet during his recovery period, Wang added.
Wang said before the surgery, the former president was very concerned about the January presidential and legislative elections, adding that Lee Teng-hui asked those who share his concerns about the nation’s sovereignty and future to keep working toward their goals and forgive his absence while he recovers.
“I will work with all of you again after I recover from the illness ... If I die, the responsibility of safeguarding Taiwan will fall upon your shoulders,” Wang quoted Lee Teng-hui as saying before the surgery.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) both sent their best wishes to the former president yesterday.
Others were leaving their best wishes on his Facebook wall.
Additional reporting by staff writer, with CNA