Premier Dennis Fentie says he is recovering from the removal of a low-grade cancerous tumour.

The premier held a telephone press conference late this morning from his Whitehorse home to explain his circumstances and avoid any further speculation.

Earlier this fall, Fentie was diagnosed with a bladder tumour.

It was removed shortly afterward, on Oct. 30, at the urology department of the Vancouver General Hospital, he said.

The premier said he returned to work on Nov. 1.

However, he developed a rupture in the surgical area, which caused internal bleeding, forcing him to return to Vancouver.

The examination of the tumour showed it was low-grade and superficial, Fentie said.

'The future looks very positive for myself,' he said. 'But I will have to have regular check-ups every three months, or two months, for a while.'

The Watson Lake MLA of 11 years said he will be returning to work, but is not sure when.

He hopes it will be sometime during this sitting of the legislature, which is scheduled to end Dec. 13.

The premier hinted that he probably tried to return to work too early after the initial surgery, but will be taking the necessary measures to heal properly this time, which involves lying flat for most of the day.

And he's not allowed to lift anything heavy.

Other than emergency matters, he's not working, he explained.

Fentie is the second Yukon party leader to be diagnosed with cancer.

In the summer of 2006, NDP Leader Todd Hardy was diagnosed with leukemia, which triggered a lengthy battle which hospitalized him for months.

Hardy, however, has returned to his seat in the legislature. (See separate story, this page.)

Fentie was first elected in 1996 as a New Democrat, and was returned in 2000.

He subsequently left the NDP and made a right-wing turn to the Yukon Party, of which he became leader in the spring of 2002.

He led his new party to a majority government later that year, ousting Pat Duncan's short-lived Liberal regime.

He and the Yukon Party received their second consecutive majority in the October 2006 general election.