Socialist President of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva started preemptive radiotherapy sessions this week after being diagnosed with early-stage skin cancer in April.
President Lula began receiving the first of 15 planned radiotherapy sessions on Monday after doctors removed a basal cell carcinoma from the 80-year-old’s scalp on April 24 in a procedure carried out at the Sírio-Libanês hospital in São Paulo.
At the time, Lula’s medical team, led by cardiologist Roberto Kalil, reportedly detailed that the risk of metastasis for the type of cancer found in Lula’s scalp is minimal compared to other forms of skin cancer. The April surgery to remove the carcinoma, the doctors explained, went smoothly, and Lula was discharged on the same day.
The state-owned news agency Agência Brasil reported on Monday that Lula received the first of 15 preemptive radiotherapy sessions at the Sírio-Libanês’s unit in Brasília. According to the Brazilian presidential office, the sessions will take place over a three-week period and last approximately two minutes. Lula’s medical team asserted that Lula will continue his daily activities without restrictions throughout the treatment. Lula has not publicly commented on the radiotherapy sessions at press time.
“President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva visited the Sírio-Libanês Hospital’s Brasília branch today, May 25. Following the removal of a basal cell carcinoma on April 24, 2026, it was decided to proceed with complementary treatment involving preventive superficial radiotherapy on the scalp, which began this Monday,” a statement from the hospital read.
“The president will continue his daily activities without restrictions while remaining under the care of medical teams led by Prof. Dr. Roberto Kalil Filho and Dr. Ana Helena Germoglio,” the statement continued.
The Brazilian president reportedly received his second radiotherapy session on Tuesday morning at the same hospital in the Brazilian capital. According to the outlet Metrópoles, Lula spent roughly 20 minutes at the hospital and then boarded a flight to Manaus, Amazonas, to carry out his official agenda.
“It’s a localized lesion; it doesn’t spread. The worst that can happen is that small sores may appear. He had been monitoring it for some time, and now he’s decided to have it removed. This doesn’t imply a poor prognosis. It’s a matter of monitoring,” Dr. Kalil reportedly explained in April, noting that he and other doctors recommended Lula undertake preventive measures such as wearing a hat and using sunscreen to protect against prolonged sun exposure.
According to the Brazilian outlet Poder 360, Lula has undergone at least 14 different medical procedures throughout his life, ranging from the amputation of his left little finger in 1964 to an emergency brain surgery in December 2024 to drain an intracranial hemorrhage stemming from an October 2024 head injury. In February, Lula underwent a dermatological procedure to treat keratosis, a thickening of the skin’s outermost keratin layer.
In 2011, Lula was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer and underwent chemotherapy. His medical team chose chemotherapy over surgery to preserve the functions of Lula’s larynx. The cancer went into complete remission a year later, in 2012. Poder 360 noted that Lula’s health has been a topic of discussion ahead of the October 2026 presidential election, in which Lula is seeking a fourth four-year term as president of Brazil. If elected, Lula would be 85 years old once his fourth term ends in 2030.
Poder 360 noted that since April Lula has been posting a growing number of videos on social media in which he appears engaging in exercises and physical activities. One such type of content, the outlet explained, involves corridinhas (“short runs”) in which the Brazilian president is seen briefly sprinting towards a destination or group of people. Per Poder 360, videos of that nature featuring Lula are now reportedly being posted at an average rate of one per week as Brazil is in the six months’ lead-up to the October election.
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
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