Pope Leo diagnosed with cancer, undergoes surgery to remove lung nodule: Vatican

Pope Leo XIV has been diagnosed with lung cancer after undergoing surgery to remove a lung nodule, with doctors removing the lower lobe of his right lung, the Vatican said on Tuesday.

A medical bulletin issued by the Vatican confirmed that tests had established a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, a type of lung cancer. The condition had been suspected during preoperative examinations and was confirmed during the surgery.

The 71-year-old pontiff spent approximately three hours in the operating room, with the surgical procedure itself lasting around 90 minutes. The Vatican said the operation was successful and was completed without complications.

“The surgery was successful, and there were no complications,” the medical bulletin stated.

Earlier, the Vatican had announced that Pope Leo’s operation to remove the lung nodule had been completed successfully, according to schedule and as planned. Following the procedure, the Pope returned to his room at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where he is expected to remain under medical supervision.

The Vatican spokesperson said further information about the pontiff’s condition would be provided later.

Pope undergoes surgery

Leo had arrived at Gemelli Hospital earlier on Tuesday, entering through the main entrance and waving to dozens of well-wishers who had gathered to greet him. The operation was performed by a medical team led by Dr Stefano Margaritora, the hospital’s chief thoracic surgeon.

The diagnosis marks a significant development in the first publicly disclosed major health concern of Leo’s 17-month papacy. The American pontiff had revealed the discovery of a small, localised lung nodule during his Sunday noon prayer and announced that he would undergo surgery to have it removed.

Medical experts have indicated that early detection and surgical removal can offer a favourable outlook for patients with localised lung cancer. However, the extent of the disease and the need for further treatment will depend on the final pathology results and the findings from the operation.

Dr Stephen Liu, a lung cancer specialist at Georgetown University’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, said the successful completion of the procedure without reported complications was encouraging.

“In the immediate post-operative setting, no news can be good news,” Liu said, adding that the completion of the operation suggested there had been no unexpected developments during surgery. He noted that final pathology results could take several days.

The Vatican had previously indicated that the surgery would require a hospital stay of approximately one week. All of Leo’s audiences had been cancelled through October 20 to allow time for treatment and recovery.

The Pope is staying in a room near the hospital’s dedicated papal apartment, which has been used by previous pontiffs and includes a private chapel on the 10th floor. The apartment is currently undergoing renovations, according to the Vatican press office.

Doctors considered robotic techniques for surgery

Before the operation, specialists had discussed the possibility of using advanced robotic technology to obtain a biopsy and remove the affected portion of the lung.

Dr Lorenzo Spaggiari, director of thoracic surgery at the European Institute of Oncology in Milan, said such procedures can often be carried out using minimally invasive techniques. Although he was not involved in Leo’s treatment, he was familiar with the medical team at Gemelli Hospital.

Spaggiari had explained that doctors could first perform a biopsy to establish whether the nodule was cancerous and then remove the affected segment or lobe of the lung, depending on the clinical findings. Both procedures could potentially be performed consecutively under the same general anaesthesia.

One technology considered for diagnosis was the ION robotic bronchoscopy system, which enables doctors to obtain tissue samples from lung nodules as small as three millimetres. Both Gemelli Hospital and the European Institute of Oncology have access to this technology.

The final diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma confirms the suspected cancerous nature of the nodule. The focus will now be on the Pope’s postoperative recovery and the results of further examinations, which will help determine whether additional treatment is required.

For now, the Vatican has confirmed that the operation was completed successfully and without complications, while the pontiff remains under medical care at Gemelli Hospital.

With inputs from AP

Also Read:

Why can cancer return post-treatment and what are relapse symptoms? Doctor explains after Mushtaq Khan’s death