Pope Leo Xiv Diagnosed With Lung Cancer After Surgery To Remove Part Of Lung

• Pope Leo XIV has been diagnosed with lung cancer, according to the Vatican.
• The diagnosis followed a successful surgery on October 13, in which the doctors removed the lower lobe of the Pope’s right lung.
• The Vatican says the Pope had a calm first night and is expected to spend a week in the hospital while exams are conducted on the removed tissue.
• At this time, there have been no updates as to whether Pope Leo will require any further treatment.

Pope Leo XIV has been diagnosed with lung cancer following a successful surgery, the Vatican said. 

The Pope, 71, underwent surgery at Agostino Gemelli University Policlinic in Rome on October 13 to remove a nodule from his right lung. This was determined to be pulmonary adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer. 

The surgeons removed the lower lobe of the Pope’s lung to “ensure a radical procedure; the lower lobe of the right lung was removed using a video-assisted technique,” said Dr. Luigi Carbone, the Director of Vatican Healthcare Services, and Professor Stephano Margaritora, the lead surgeon, in a press release. 

“An intraoperative histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, as suspected from the preoperative examinations,” they said. 

Pope Leo was in the operating room for 3 hours, while the operation itself lasted around 90 minutes. 

The doctors noted that it was a successful operation with no complications. 

According to Matteo Bruni, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, the Pope asked for dinner after the surgery and spent the evening with his secretaries and other Vatican staff.

In a press release on Wednesday, the Vatican said that the Pope’s postoperative recovery is progressing well.

Pope Leo will take a week off to recover

According to Vatican News, Pope Leo had a calm first night following his surgery. 

In the coming days, exams will be conducted on the removed tissue. There has currently been no change in the initially announced week of hospitalization. 

On October 14, the Pope underwent blood tests and chest X-rays that were scheduled following his surgery. The results of these tests confirm that his postoperative recovery is progressing as expected, and the values are within a normal range for the type of operation performed.

Pope Leo has also undergone some respiratory physiotherapy and has begun walking around his room, the Vatican said.

It has not yet been announced whether he will require any further treatment.

What is adenocarcinoma lung cancer? 

Adenocarcinoma is the most common subtype of lung cancer globally. It accounts for around 40% of all lung cancer diagnoses. 

Adenocarcinoma is a type of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which accounts for about 80–85% of all lung cancers. 

Lung adenocarcinoma begins in the epithelial cells that produce mucus. It is the most common type of NSCLC. 

Treatment for NSCLC is generally determined by the stage. However, it typically involves one or a combination of:  

• surgery 
• radiation therapy 
• chemotherapy
• targeted therapy 
• immunotherapy

Surgery is generally the first step in treatment for this type of lung cancer. The right lung has three lobes, or sections, and the left has two.

A doctor will often remove the entire lobe that has the tumor in order to remove the tumor and improve the outlook.

The body eventually adapts in order to compensate for the loss of function.

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), for NSCLC that hasn’t spread outside of the lung, the 5-year relative survival rate is 67%.