New cancer surgery for King Albert

King Albert has had a small tumour removed from his scalp, his second cancer surgery in three years, the Royal Palace announced yesterday. Albert, who abdicated last July in favour of his son, Philippe, was immediately discharged from the hospital to return to his home in Larken, but is still in a period of recovery.

Albert has suffered for years from a form of skin cancer, and the palace described the tumour as a basal cell carcinoma of the scalp. The tumour was removed on Monday at Brussels' Saint-Luc University Hospital by Professor Benoît Lengelé, who also performed the November 2011 surgery on Albert’s nose.

Basal cell carcinoma is a common form of skin cancer, and is rarely deadly. However, it could lead to other types of skin cancer, for example squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma.

In June 2007, Albert was hospitalised for hip replacement surgery, after he broke his leg in a fall at his Laeken home.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons