The president of Panama, Laurentino Cortiso, has cancer

With “myelodysplastic syndrome” (MDS), type cancer Panama President Laurentino Cortiso has been diagnosed with a blood clot and assured that he is feeling well and that his morale is high.

The 69-year-old head of state underwent a bone marrow biopsy, samples of which were sent to a US laboratory. On June 16, doctors informed him of the diagnosis, which is that he suffers from “myelodysplastic syndrome of medium risk level”.

In a televised speech, Mr. Cortiso clarified how to get a second opinion from a laboratory in Houston, USA in July, in order to be informed about the development of his condition.

“I want to tell you that I feel good, I have high morale and that I will continue to carry out my duties,” he stressed.

The symptoms

“The disease the president has been diagnosed with is a type of blood cancer,” Julio Santoval, a doctor specializing in internal medicine and intensive care, told AFP.

According to this expert, this type of cancer causes decreased hemoglobin and a reduced number of red, white blood cells and platelets, which may have symptoms such as fatigue, anemia, weakness, fever and weight loss reports APE-MPE, citing Reuters and AFP.

The disease may be due to “genetic problems that develop silently and appear after the age of 60”, Mr. Sandoval explained, adding that life expectancy after diagnosis ranges from “Six months to fifteen years».

Its president Panama he assured in his sermon that his doctors consider him to be in “excellent general condition”.

There are several approaches to treating MDS, such as blood transfusions, chemotherapy or bone marrow transplants. The president of Panama, who took over in 2019, did not specify whether or what kind of treatment he will undergo.