In addition to not having previously announced that he would do less aggressive removal of the scalp, the president (), 80, avoided giving details of the treatment even to close allies, some of whom were members of his personal circle.
Two PT members who have been close to Lula for decades told the Sheeton condition of anonymity, discovered through the press that the president would need radiotherapy. One of them said that, in a conversation a few weeks ago, the head of government mentioned that he would undergo cancer-related treatment, without mentioning what type it would be.
Lula had basal cell cancer removed on April 24, a less serious and more common variation of skin cancer. Radiotherapy treatment was already considered by the medical team.
The option for radiotherapy was confirmed after a clinical evaluation that took place on May 18th. That day, the medical report described the evolution as satisfactory, “as expected, and uneventful”.
The doctors then recommended radiotherapy sessions as a preventive measure, with Lula being responsible for defining the best date. According to reports, the president could undergo the procedure in the future. But he chose to undergo treatment immediately.
The session for Monday (25) was defined over the weekend. This speed surprised even Lula’s direct collaborators. According to these assistants, the president himself was the one who advised that the treatment be publicized, despite suggestions to the contrary.
The president is 80 years old and will run for re-election in October. He told the electorate not to give rise to questions about his physical capacity to govern.
According to these interlocutors, the prescription was not included in the medical bulletin published by the Sírio Libanês hospital after the procedure because the doctors had not confirmed its performance. For the same reason, it was also left out of the second bulletin, published on May 18 after the president underwent a follow-up consultation.
The information was only released on Monday, after the PT member underwent the first of 15 radiotherapy sessions to which he will be subjected over the next three weeks. This Tuesday (26), he went through the second session and then embarked for Manaus, where he had a series of political commitments.
Asked why the need for treatment was not disclosed until the first session, the press office of the Presidency of the Republic stated that medical reports are the responsibility of the professionals who treat Lula.
“As stated in all bulletins already released, the president remains under monitoring and protocols are adopted based on assessments carried out by doctors”, states the Planalto note.
Sirio-Lebanês stated that he only spoke out through medical reports.
The medical bulletin containing radiotherapy, released on Monday, states that the procedure is preventive. Both Lula’s allies say that the treatment should not prevent him from maintaining his usual activities.
Modern radiotherapy for cases like Lula’s consists of bombarding the treated area of skin with beams of electrons. Each session lasts a few minutes. Side effects tend to be localized and mild, such as redness in the irradiated area, skin irritation and temporary hair loss.
The PT member’s actions to demonstrate vitality to the electorate include exposing his exercise routine on social media and doing short runs in public, arriving or leaving an appointment. In 2025, he participated in a walk in honor of the Ministry of Education and .
Furthermore, as shown by Sheet Even in the first year of the PT member’s current term, the president’s term was overtaken at times to prevent an image of fragility from being conveyed.
In 2023, for example, Lula was admitted for an operation to correct osteoarthritis in his hip. After the president left the operating table, Planalto reported that he had also undergone a procedure on his eyelids.
Since then, Secom (Communication Secretariat of the Presidency), responsible for disseminating information relating to the president, has clarified facts associated with Lula’s health only after questions from the press.
In February this year, a simple skin removal procedure. The case, resulting from keratosis, was only clarified when the president appeared with a dark spot on the top of his head at an event at Palácio do Planalto, and was captured by photographers during the ceremony.
In response to the questions, Secom informed the details of the nature and date of the procedure – again without explaining why the information was omitted.
In April, the Communications Secretariat chose to tell the press the day before that Lula would undergo new procedures. This time they were told to re-cauterize and leak the wrist to deal with pain in the right thumb as treatment for tendinitis. The information that it was cancer came to light only later.
The president has already publicly expressed his fear of conveying an image of fragility. “I wanted to trade right after . Well, I said, if I trade now, you [vão] say ‘Lula is old, he won the elections and he’s already hospitalized'”, he said after hip surgery in 2023.
Government members who had conversations with the president after his skin cancer was removed told Sheet that he is working normally, with attention span and quick thinking. Lula has worn a hat in his public engagements. The accessory protects the operated area from the sun and prevents it from being seen.
