(CNN) -- Paraguay's cancer-stricken president has been hospitalized for treatment, his office announced Saturday.
President Fernando Lugo was admitted to a hospital in Asuncion on Thursday. He was to be transferred to the Syrian-Lebanese Hospital in San Paolo, Brazil on Saturday, a statement on the president's website said, citing Dr. Alfredo Boccia. He heads the medical team who serves Lugo.
Lugo, 59, was suffering from redness and swelling around the face, the statement said.
Lugo was diagnosed in August with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer affecting the immune system. It was detected at an early stage.
He is a former Roman Catholic bishop. His five-year term is slated to end in August 2013.
CNN
