Pope Leo XIV Diagnosed With Lung Cancer After Surgery
The Vatican says the 71-year-old pontiff had the lower lobe of his right lung removed on Tuesday. Doctors called the operation a success.
Pope Leo XIV has lung cancer. The Vatican confirmed the diagnosis Tuesday evening after surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung.
The operation took about 90 minutes at Agostino Gemelli hospital in Rome. The pope spent roughly three hours in the operating room in total. His doctors said the surgery was successful and there were no complications.
The tissue doctors removed showed pulmonary adenocarcinoma, a common form of lung cancer. Pre-operative tests had already pointed to that diagnosis, and the operation confirmed it. Doctors said the growth was caught at a very early stage and was well contained.
Leo, 71, announced the planned surgery while speaking to the crowd gathered in St. Peter's Square on Sunday. He said the growth had been detected at a very early stage and was contained. It was the first major medical procedure of his 17-month papacy.
The pope woke up normally after the surgery and returned to his room on the hospital's 10th floor, according to the medical bulletin signed by Dr. Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora.
Oncologists say the early catch is the part that matters most. A lung cancer specialist at Georgetown University told the Associated Press that an uneventful procedure with no surprises in the operating room is exactly what doctors want to see. Final pathology results can take a few days, he said.
The pope is expected to spend about a week in the hospital. The Vatican canceled all of his public events through October 20. The Vatican said further tests are being done to determine whether the cancer has spread.
