Pope Leo XIV’s surgery confirmed that he has lung cancer and he had the lower lobe of his right lung removed, the Vatican said Tuesday.
The tests confirmed a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, the Vatican said in a medical bulletin after the surgery. It said the diagnosis had been suspected by preoperative tests and was confirmed during surgery.
The 71-year-old pontiffΒ was in the operating room for about 3 hours, the statement said. The surgery itself lasted approximately 90 minutes. “The surgery was successful, and there were no complications,” the statement said.
“To ensure a radical resection, the lower lobe of the right lung was removed using a video-assisted technique,” the Vatican said in a statement. “Intraoperative histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma, as suspected from pre-operative tests.”
According to the Vatican, the Pope “regained consciousness normally” following the procedure and was then taken back to his room on the 10th floor of Rome’s Gemelli hospital. Β Β
Leo had walked into Gemelli hospital through the main entrance earlier in the day and waved to dozens of well-wishers who had gathered to greet him. The Vatican said the surgery was performed by a team led by Gemelli’s chief thoracic surgeon, Dr. Stefano Margaritora. Β
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
