Chavez back home in Venezuela, still out of sight

Caracas, Feb 19 (AP) President Hugo Chavez is back in Venezuela after 10 weeks of cancer treatment in Cuba, but he remained silent and out of sight today, closed away in a tightly guarded military hospital, leaving the nation to speculate about whether he can still govern, and for how long. Government officials are insisting that Chavez remains in charge even as observers are increasingly questioning whether a leader who has been breathing through a tube and hasn't spoken publicly in more than two months is capable of remaining in office. Chavez's political allies have left open the possibility that the president may finally take the oath of office for a new term, a ceremony originally scheduled for last month, while he was undergoing cancer treatment in Cuba. But they have given few precise details what sort of cancer the president suffers, saying only that it is in his pelvic region, or what sort of "complex and tough" treatment he is undergoing. Officials have confirmed he underwent a tracheostomy and uses a tube to help breathe, but it is not clear if he can do so on his own or is relying on a ventilator. "It is possible that he has a tracheostomy without being ventilator-dependent, although it isn't clear why that would be the case," said Steve Hahn, a professor of radiation oncology at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine. Hahn, who is not involved in Chavez's treatment, said swallowing usually becomes difficult, though not impossible, for patients who have undergone the procedure and have a hole in the windpipe. The alternatives for patients who can no longer swallow include a tube coming out of the stomach or the nose, or intravenous feeding, Hahn said. "The patient may not be receiving IV fluids or antibiotics, although they often are." Hahn said that given Chavez's treatment regimen and evolution, he could have a low-grade sarcoma that is continuing to come back despite repeated surgeries. "It certainly sounds like he is receiving palliative chemotherapy," Hahn said in an emailed response to questions. "It does sound as if his situation is incurable and most likely end-stage." Such views sharply contrasted with upbeat street celebrations held by Chavez's supporters yesterday after his return was announced on the president's Twitter account. Chavez's return came less than three days after the government released the first photos of the president in more than two months, showing him in a bed looking bloated and smiling alongside his daughters. The government has yet to release any images of the president in Caracas. Bolivian President Evo Morales arrived in Caracas today for a visit, after saying a day earlier that "I really want to see him." (AP) SAI 02192215 NNNN