Pope Leo XIV underwent surgery on Tuesday that confirmed he has lung cancer, the Vatican announced on Tuesday, after it became known that the surgery to remove a tumor had been successfully completed.
Doctors removed the lower lobe of the Pope’s right lung, the Vatican added.
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The surgery that Pope Leo underwent was successfully completed
Pope leo in the hospital: He will undergo lung surgery
Tests confirmed the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, the Vatican added in a medical bulletin following the surgery. According to the bulletin, the condition was suspected based on preoperative tests and was confirmed during the surgery.
The 71-year-old Pope remained in the operating room for about 3 hours, according to the statement. The surgery itself lasted about 90 minutes.
The surgery was successful and there were no complications, the Associated Press reports.
The Pope had been admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital earlier on Tuesday through the main entrance and greeted dozens of people who had gathered to welcome him. The surgery was performed by a team led by the Gemelli Hospital’s chief thoracic surgeon, Stefano Margaritora.
It had initially been reported that the head of the Roman Catholic Church would remain in the hospital until the end of the week and that all his meetings had been canceled through October 20.
As he himself said while addressing the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square last Sunday, the nodule was diagnosed at an early stage and its boundaries are particularly well-defined. He said that the doctors’ recommendation was to have it removed.
Pulmonary nodules are small lesions found in the spongy tissue of the lungs. They measure up to 3 centimeters in diameter and can be round or irregular in shape. They are a common finding and are not always cancerous; those that are removed are examined for the possibility of neoplasia.
Adenocarcinoma is the most common type of lung cancer in both smokers and nonsmokers.
Source: Proto Thema
