King of Spain has surgery on lung

KING Juan Carlos of Spain yesterday successfully underwent lung surgery to remove a small benign growth.

The 72-year-old monarch had a two-hour operation in a hospital in Barcelona and was recovering well, Dr Laureano Molins Lopez-Rodo said.

"It's good news, the lesion is benign," Molins said at a post-operation press conference, adding that there were "no malign cells" in tissue removed from the upper part of the king's right lung.

A statement issued by Avelino Barros Caballero, head of the palace's medical team, said doctors carrying out a routine checkup found what was described as "calcification" at the top of the king's right lung.

After further tests they decided to operate on Saturday to remove the nodule.

Molins said the king would not need any post-operation medical treatment on his lungs. "He has not suffered lung cancer," he said.

Juan Carlos used to be a heavy smoker but has not been seen smoking in public in recent years. The palace declined to say whether he had stopped.

Molins said the king's former addiction to tobacco had been an important factor in deciding to investigate the growth through surgery. The nodule had been growing and "capturing glucose" so it was necessary to examine the growth.

The origin of the nodule could have been the result of an infection.

Molins said the king's medical team had on 28 April forbidden the king to smoke.

"Cigars are just as bad as cigarettes," he said.

The king carried out his duties as normal on Friday, including an early afternoon meeting with US vice president Joe Biden at the Zarzuela Palace.

The king is much loved and respected in Spain after he defended the country's parliamentary democracy from an attempted right-wing military coup in 1981.