Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, leader of Iraq's largest Shiite party, said Monday that tests carried out in the United States have shown that he suffered from a «limited tumor» and that he will be treated in Iran. Al-Hakim did not say where the tumor was, but officials close to him said he was diagnosed with lung cancer after undergoing tests last week at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. «The results of those tests in America showed a number of limited inflammations and a limited tumor,» al-Hakim, 57, said in comments from Iran broadcast by Iraqi state television. He said he was told that «they can be easily controlled and treated.» Al-Hakim, seated on an armchair, appeared relaxed and occasionally smiled during his brief comments. «My treatment will not last long and I will return home in the nearest opportunity, God willing,» he said. Al-Hakim flew to the U.S. on Wednesday for tests after doctors at a hospital in Baghdad detected signs of cancer in one of his lungs.
