Global Leaders Who Battled Cancer

The Namibian President died on 4 February 2024, aged 82 years, weeks after he was diagnosed with cancer.

Venezuela’s president Hugo Chavez died from cancer in March 2013 at the age of 58. He was diagnosed with cancer in the pelvic region in 2011, and underwent a surgery for removal of a large cancerous tumour.

In August 2010, Paraguayan ex-president Lugo was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer that originates in the lymphatic system, the disease-fighting network throughout the body. He was declared cancer-free in 2012.

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2011. His treatment was a success. In 2022, he underwent a procedure to remove potentially pre-cancerous patches from his vocal cord.

Barbados ex-prime minister Thompson was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in Sept 2010. He received medical treatment in the United States but died in October 2010 aged 48.

Czechoslovakia’s last president Vaclav Havel, a heavy smoker, underwent a surgery in 1996 for removal of part of his cancerous right lung. He died in 2011, aged 75 after a long illness.

Carter, in 2015 revealed that he was being treated for metastatic melanoma, which had spread to his liver and brain. He underwent surgery, radiation therapy and immunotherapy to successfully fight the disease. Today, he is 99 years old.

Mitterrand was diagnosed with prostate cancer not long after being elected president in 1981. He died in January 1996 at the age of 79.

In July 1985, Reagan underwent surgery for colon cancer. In August 1985, he underwent another procedure to remove skin cancer cells from his nose. In October, more skin cancer cells on his nose were removed. He died in 2004 after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for nearly a decade.