Tests on Hirohito Show No Sign of Pancreas Cancer

Emperor Hirohito, who underwent surgery last week to bypass an obstruction of his intestines, does not have cancer, his physicians said today.

Tests performed at Tokyo University showed the 86-year-old emperor is suffering from chronic pancreatitis, Akira Takagi, the emperor’s chief doctor, told a news conference.

“There were scars caused by inflammation, but no cancer cells” were found on tissue taken from the emperor’s pancreas during a 2 1/2-hour operation Sept. 22, Takagi said.

Hirohito is the world’s longest-reigning monarch, having assumed his position in 1926.

During surgery, doctors found an egg-size obstruction in the pancreas and performed a bypass around it.

Yasuhiko Morioka, chief surgeon in the operation, said the emperor was recovering satisfactorily at the Imperial Household hospital and may be discharged next week.