Tests confirm Chilean poet Neruda had advanced cancer

Forensic experts in Chile say initial tests on the remains of the Nobel prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda confirm that he was suffering from cancer at the time of his death.

The left-wing poet died in 1973, days after the military coup that brought General Augusto Pinochet to power, BBC reports.
Mr Neruda's remains were exhumed last month to investigate allegations that he was poisoned by secret agents.

It was thought at the time that he died of prostate cancer.
The findings that he had advanced cancer seem to support the official version that he died of natural causes.

But lawyer Eduardo Contreras, who brought the case on behalf of the Chilean Communist Party, said it was too early to reach a conclusion.

The result will be revealed in toxicology tests to be carried out at a laboratory in the United States, he said.
"It is no news that Mr Neruda had cancer. It is logical that the cancer will show in the X-rays of his bones," said Mr Contreras.