Saulius Skvernelis said he underwent his first chemotherapy session on Tuesday.

Lithuania's Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis said Wednesday he has been diagnosed with lymphoma but will continue working as he undergoes cancer treatment.

"The diagnosis has been confirmed, it is lymphoma in the early stage," Skvernelis told reporters in the Baltic EU state's capital Vilnius.

Skvernelis said he underwent his first chemotherapy session on Tuesday, adding that the treatment would continue through September and October.

"The doctors hope for (a) full recovery, and so do I," Skvernelis said, adding that the disease affecting the lymphatic system had not spread to other organs.

His lymphoma was detected during a routine health-check following the presidential elections in May. It was confirmed during an operation in early August, Skvernelis said.

A former national police chief and interior minister, Skvernelis, 49, became prime minister in December 2016 after a victory by his closely allied centre-left Farmers and Greens Union.

Lithuania will hold a general election in October 2020.