Venezuela's Chavez says he was treated for cancer (Reuters)

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is being treated for “respiratory deficiency” after complications from a severe lung infection, his government said Thursday. The statement pointed to a deepening crisis for the ailing 58-year-old president, who hasn’t been seen or heard from since his Dec. 11 operation in Cuba.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez returned to Venezuela early Monday, officials said, after a controversial extended stay in Cuba where he underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor."We got here as the sun was rising. So very happy to be back home," Chavez said on Venezuelan state television as he arrived in time for July 5 bicentennial celebrations.

Venezuelan Vice President Elias Jaua said Sunday that President Hugo Chavez was not in danger of losing his life after surgery to remove a cancerous tumor, and hopes to recover in time for next year's presidential election.The tumor has "never been life threatening," Jaua insisted to the El Universal newspaper, in a bid to contain the shockwaves felt over the firebrand leader's surprise announcement from Cuba last week that he had the tumor removed.

CARACAS — Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez slid into a coma the day before he died of respiratory failure after cancer spread into his lungs, sources say. Chavez’s precise condition was one of the world’s best-kept secrets since his cancer was announced in June 2011. Since his death this week, however, details have emerged of the 58-year-old president’s battle with cancer and the last moments in the hospital with close family and senior aides.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez admitted to having undergone an operation that removed a cancerous tumor, in his first televised address since he was rushed to hospital in Cuba on June 10."Studies confirmed the existence of a tumor with cancerous cells," Chavez admitted in an emotional late night address broadcast in Venezuela, where he expressed hope for a full recovery.

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuela’s vice president said Thursday that Hugo Chavez is still fighting for his life, yet a recent poll says nearly three in five Venezuelans believe their president will return to power. Nicolas Maduro, Chavez’s self-appointed successor, said on television that his boss “is battling there for his health, for his life, and we’re accompanying him.”