Argentina's president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, does not have cancer, despite undergoing surgery to have her thyroid gland removed.
"Tissue studies ruled out the presence of cancerous cells in the thyroid, thus modifying the initial diagnosis," presidential spokesman Alfredo Scoccimarro said at the weekend.
Fernández will not have to swallow the radioactive iodine that patients usually take after thyroid cancer surgery, to make sure any remaining cancer cells are killed, her spokesman said. But she will have to take hormone medicine for the rest of her life.
Fernández returned to the presidential residence in the Buenos Aires suburb of Olivos on Saturday, three days after undergoing surgery.
The 58-year-old president, through her spokesman, thanked the medical team led by the hospital's surgery chief, Pedro Saco, an expert in cancers of the head and neck. Later on Saturday, she added her own thoughts in a tweet, saying: "Now from Olivos, we thank all the people, citizens, activists and personalities, for the signs of affection and concern."
The announcement that she is cancer-free prompted raucous cheers and chants from several hundred supporters holding vigil for days outside the hospital, carrying signs saying: "Be Strong Cristina!"
Fernández was re-elected with 54% of the vote in October's elections in part because none of her rivals seemed as capable of maintaining economic growth and social stability.
