Venezuelan President Huge Chavez said on Thursday night that he had a second surgery recently in Cuba, which successfully removed a cancerous tumor.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez addresses the nation during a televised speech on June 30, 2011. Chavez said on Thursday he had a tumor but had undergone a successful operation in Cuba to extract the cancerous cells and was on the road to full recovery. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Chavez was speaking on state TV explaining his health conditions following the surgery earlier this month.

In his first TV address in three weeks, the Venezuelan leader confirmed that cancerous cells were detected in the tumor removed during the operation, which was done after a June 10 operation that removed a pelvic abscess.

It remained unclear which kind of cancer was involved in the cells and how long he would remain in Cuba for recovery.

There had been speculation in Venezuela about the health of Chavez over the past weeks.

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet