Harrison is treated for 'brain tumour'

There were renewed fears for George Harrison's health last night with speculation that he was being treated for a brain tumour.

The former Beatle, who has twice undergone surgery for cancer, is believed to have received treatment at a Swiss cancer clinic.

Last night the head of the Oncology Institute at San Giovanni hospital in Bellinzona said he could not deny that the 58-year-old musician had been treated there. Professor Franco Cavalli, a renowned cancer specialist and head of the Socialist Party in the Swiss Parliament, said: "We don't deny that. That is all we can say." Professor Cavalli said he would release a statement today.

The respected Swiss newspaper Sonntagszeitung reported yesterday that Mr Harrison was receiving radiation for the tumour, and cobalt treatment, which could signify a deterioration in his health.

Two months ago, friends said the musician was making an excellent recovery after a lung cancer operation in March at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He joked that he had "no plans" to die. Mr Harrison had a large growth removed from his lung after being diagnosed with cancer for the second time. He had undergone surgery for throat cancer only three years earlier.

In December 1999 he was stabbed by an intruder, Michael Abram, who broke into his home in Henley-on-Thames.

After his latest treatment at the San Giovanni hospital, he is believed to have flown to Milan in a jet owned by the actor Jim Carrey, to begin recuperation.