Pope Leo spent 'a tranquil night' in the hospital after cancer surgery, Vatican says

ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV spent a tranquil night in Rome's Gemelli hospital following an operation to remove the lower lobe of his right lung and a confirmed cancer diagnosis, the Vatican said in a statement Wednesday.

The Vatican said more information would be provided later in the day.

Tests confirmed a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, the Vatican said late Tuesday in a medical bulletin after the surgery. It said the diagnosis had been suspected by preoperative tests and was confirmed during surgery .

The medical bulletin made no mention of treatment going forward, and the Vatican said doctors were not currently speaking of chemotherapy or other therapies pending the results of other tests. The Vatican press office noted the medical statement spoke of the “radical” removal of the lobe as an indication that doctors removed all suspect tissue in hopes of removing any lingering traces of the cancer.

Leo’s lymph nodes also would have been removed and tested, to determine if the cancer had spread, and there was no word yet on those test results.

“Adenocarcinoma is the most common (type of lung cancer), also with the most favorable prognosis,” said Dr. Stephen Liu, a lung cancer expert at Georgetown’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. “While we know the diagnosis, we now need to know the stage.”

“We now need to know how big it is, how many spots in the lung are involved. Is it just one nodule, or more than one, and the lymph nodes, are they cancerous?” Liu said.

If the cancer has spread, more tests will be needed to determine what kind of therapy to pursue, he said. Options include chemotherapy, a combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy or targeted therapy, which involves oral pills for specific cancers.

Until that happens, it will remain unclear what the implications are for the pope’s long-term health; several experts told the AP an individual’s underlying health and fitness will be key determinants.

The 71-year-old was in the operating room for about three hours, the Vatican statement said on Tuesday. The surgery itself lasted approximately 90 minutes.

“The surgery was successful, and there were no complications,” the statement said, adding that the pope later returned to his room.

The right lung has three sections or lobes while the left has two. After one lobe is removed, the remainder of the lung can gradually compensate, especially in otherwise healthy and physically active people.

Leo had walked into the 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 would be performed by a team led by Gemelli’s chief thoracic surgeon, Dr. Stefano Margaritora.

The American pontiff has offered a rare level of transparency about the first publicly disclosed major health problem of his 17-month papacy. He revealed the discovery of the localized nodule during his Sunday noon prayer and said he would have it removed.

Oncologists said prior to the operation that even if the nodule turned out to be cancerous, Leo’s prognosis would be “excellent” since it would have been removed at an early stage.

The Vatican on Monday canceled all Leo’s audiences through Oct. 20.

While Gemelli has a specific papal apartment that past popes have used, complete with a private chapel on the 10th floor, Leo will actually be staying in a nearby room since the papal apartment is undergoing renovations, according to the Vatican press office.

There was no word on whether Leo would be able to keep his planned trip to South America next month.

Oncology surgeons often advise patients not to fly for three weeks after surgery — which would give the pope just the interval needed to make his planned Nov. 6-17 trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, depending on his recovery.

The current itinerary for the trip is ambitious and the longest of his papacy to date, calling for Leo to clock just over 31,000 kilometers (19,000 miles) on a dozen flights and two helicopter rides, and a significant altitude change in Peru.

“If it is stage 1, he can complete these trips. If more treatment is needed, I would likely advise against the trips,” said Liu, who is not involved in the pope's care.

Barry reported from Milan. Associated Press writer Lauran Neergaard in Washington contributed to this report.

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