Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso informed his cabinet that he has skin cancer, says a government source

Guillermo Lasso: "The indigenous bases supported my candidacy" 6:10

(CNN Spanish) --

Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso confirmed to members of his cabinet that he received a diagnosis of melanoma days after undergoing surgery for an eyelid injury, and that he will travel to Houston, United States, to receive care and treatment, a senior government source with knowledge of the head of state's health told CNN.

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 after 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 this Tuesday, August 16, to carry out the "corresponding studies," and that the expenses of his entourage's trip and their security will be covered by the president himself.

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.

advertising

CNN has requested more details of President Lasso's medical situation over the weekend and this Monday, 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.

• “We cannot make violence and insecurity a political issue, the enemy is not one politician or another.

  The enemy is the violent”, assures Guillermo Lasso to José Levy

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.

William Lasso