Argentine President Cristina Fernandez never had cancer as tests showed no presence of any cancerous cells in the tissue of her thyroid gland, authorities said Saturday, Xinhua reported.
The surgery to remove the gland went well, but the later tissue studies ruled out the presence of any cancerous cells, presidential spokesman Alfredo Scoccimarro told reporters.
"The initial diagnosis has been modified," he added.
The government announced late last December that the country's newly re-elected president had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer "on the right lobe of the thyroid gland" during a routine medical examination.
Fernandez, who underwent the surgery at the Hospital Austral in Pilar on Wednesday, had left the hospital accompanied by her family. She is recovering at the presidential residence in the suburbs of Buenos Aires, the capital.
Scoccimarro said the postoperative tests showed the cells in question were "adenoma", not "carcinoma".
Vice President and former Economy Minister Amado Boudou would run the country during Fernandez's 20-day medical leave, the spokesman said.
Hundreds of supporters of the 59-year-old leader had camped near the hospital, carrying banners and praying until she was helicoptered home.