News Lula is cured of cancer raises expectations in Brazil

A piece of news in a Brazilian website today caused a wave of reactions and raised expectations when it declared sources close to the medical team treating former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio 'Lula' da Silva for a throat cancer said he free of the disease.

According to the website Brasil 247, citing sources close to Hospital Sirio Libanes medical team, the former leader was virtually “cured of his throat cancer.”

“The piece of news is still not public and limited to his close circle of friends,” said the website.

The media vehicle affirmed the tumor has “reduced significantly.”

Later, the Worker’s Party Senate Leadership took the news to the twitter . “ We are celebrating and checking the information,” it said.

By midmorning, the piece of news was published at the Senate Worker’s Party webpage giving it a more official status.

Lula's diagnosis in late October shocked Brazilians. The sixty-six-year-old politician plays a vital role in his left-leaning Workers' Party.

Doctors had already previously said they were "impressed" with Lula’s reaction to the treatment.