Vatican Confirms Pope Leo Has Lung Cancer

Pope Leo has been diagnosed with lung cancer after surgeons removed part of his right lung.

The 71-year-old Pontiff underwent a scheduled 90-minute operation on Tuesday morning after doctors identified a lesion on his chest.

The Vatican later confirmed that the nodule had been removed, but laboratory tests detected cancerous cells.

The examination confirmed adenocarcinoma, one of the most common types of lung cancer.

A Vatican spokesman said Pope Leo spent around three hours in the operating theatre.

He said the procedure was successful and that no complications had occurred.

Following the operation, Pope Leo XIV woke normally and was taken back to his room on the hospital’s 10th floor.

Doctors expect him to remain in hospital for about a week. The Vatican cancelled all of Leo’s audiences through October 20 on Monday.

Additional tests were being conducted to determine whether the cancer had spread, a source said.

Earlier in the day, the Pope walked through the main entrance of Rome’s Gemelli Hospital and waved to dozens of well-wishers waiting to welcome him.

Dr Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora issued the following statement about Tuesday’s procedure: ‘The Holy Father underwent thoracic surgery as scheduled.

‘To ensure a radical procedure, surgeons removed the lower lobe of the right lung using a video-assisted technique. An intraoperative histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, as suspected by the pre-operative tests.

‘The Holy Father was in the operating theatre for approximately three hours, while the operation itself lasted around 90 minutes. The procedure was successful and there were no complications.

‘After the operation, the Pope woke normally and, following a brief period of observation, returned to his room on the 10th floor.

‘The surgical team was led by Professor Stefano Margaritora, with assistance from Professor Elisa Meacci, Dr Maria Teresa Congedo and Dr Leonardo Petracca Caravella.

EXPLORE MORE: Israel's Defence Force releases footage of huge 'Hamas tunnel' – NewsFinale

‘The anaesthesia team comprised Professor Massimo Antonelli, Dr Giovanni Punzo and Dr Giuseppe Bello.’

Adenocarcinoma is the most common type of non-small cell lung cancer. Smoking is generally the main cause of lung cancer, although this form is more frequently found in non-smokers.

The lump was first detected during ‘routine checks’, according to the Vatican.  

The American Pontiff has offered a rare level of transparency about the first publicly disclosed major health problem of his 17-month papacy.

The Pope revealed the discovery of the small, localized nodule during his Sunday noon prayer and announced that he would have it removed.

He said then: ‘The surgery is already scheduled for the coming days. Thank you for your spiritual support, and I entrust myself to your prayers.’ 

Experts said prior to the operation that even if the nodule turned out to be cancerous, Leo’s prognosis is ‘excellent’ since it will have been removed at an early stage. 

A churchman who saw Leo on Monday, Tokyo Cardinal Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi Tsutomu, said the pope told him he felt fine and decided to have the surgery immediately so that he wouldn’t have to alter his upcoming travel plans to Latin America.

But the decision clearly came as a surprise. While Gemelli has a specific papal apartment that past popes have used, complete with a private chapel on the tenth floor, Leo will actually be staying in a nearby room since the papal apartment is currently undergoing renovations, according to the Vatican press office.

The European Institute of Oncology (EIO) advises patients not to fly for three weeks after surgery – which would give the Chicago-born pope just the interval needed to make his planned November 6 to November 17 trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, depending on his recovery.

The current itinerary for the trip is ambitious and the longest of his papacy to date, calling for Leo to clock just over 31,000km (19,263 miles) on a dozen flights and two helicopter rides, and a significant altitude change in Peru.

‘I think the Holy Father is in excellent hands at Gemelli,’ Dr Spaggiari, of the EIO said. ‘They have everything needed to keep the Holy Father alive for a long time.’

A lung nodule is a small abnormal area measuring less than 3cm (1.2 inches) that sometimes appears on a CT scan of the chest or abdomen.

Often, the scans are done to investigate trauma or a lung infection, unrelated to a lung cancer screening.

A nodule can be benign or malignant, and oftentimes surgical removal is recommended both to establish whether it is cancer and to treat a malignancy while it is still localised.

Pope Francis died aged 88 in April last year of a stroke after a long period at the Gemelli hospital for double pneumonia.