Pope Leo Has Part of Right Lung Removed as Doctors Confirm Lung Cancer
The 71-year-old pontiff is expected to spend about a week in hospital, with public audiences cancelled through 20 October
Pope Leo XIV has been diagnosed with lung cancer after surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung at Rome’s Agostino Gemelli University Hospital on Tuesday, 13 October. A postoperative medical bulletin confirmed pulmonary adenocarcinoma, a type of lung cancer.
The Vatican said the operation was completed successfully and as planned, with no complications reported. The 71-year-old pontiff returned to his hospital room following the procedure. According to the medical bulletin, he spent about three hours in the operating room, including approximately 90 minutes undergoing surgery.
Surgeons Confirm Lung Adenocarcinoma
Pope Leo XIV has been diagnosed with lung cancer after surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung at Rome’s Agostino Gemelli University Hospital on Tuesday, 13 October. A postoperative medical bulletin confirmed pulmonary adenocarcinoma, a type of lung cancer.
The Vatican said the operation was completed successfully and as planned, with no complications reported. The 71-year-old pontiff returned to his hospital room following the procedure. According to the medical bulletin, he spent about three hours in the operating room, including approximately 90 minutes undergoing surgery.
Surgeons Confirm Lung Adenocarcinoma
The lower lobe of Pope Leo’s right lung was removed using a minimally invasive, video-assisted surgical technique. The procedure was led by Professor Stefano Margaritora, Gemelli’s chief thoracic surgeon, working with Dr Luigi Carbone, the Vatican’s director of health and hygiene.
The postoperative medical bulletin said an examination of the tissue during surgery confirmed the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, as suspected from preoperative tests. The procedure was described as successful, with no complications reported.
The diagnosis confirms that the nodule was cancerous, but the extent of the disease has not been fully established publicly. Further assessment, including the results of tests on lymph nodes, will help determine whether the cancer has spread and whether additional treatment is necessary.
The successful removal of the affected lung lobe does not, by itself, establish a long-term prognosis. Although the nodule had previously been described as small and localised, its initial appearance should not be treated as a definitive assessment of the cancer’s stage.
