Pope Leo spent a “tranquil” night in hospital following cancer surgery, the Vatican has said. The Pontiff stayed in Rome’s Gemelli hospital after undergoing an operation to remove the lower lobe of his right lung.
Tests have confirmed a lung adenocarcinoma, with officials saying Leo’s operation had concluded “successfully, on schedule and as planned”. The Vatican said the cancer diagnosis had been suspected by preoperative tests and was confirmed during surgery.
Surgery details and recovery
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. They said doctors removed all suspect tissue in the hopes of removing any lingering traces of the cancer. Pope Leo XIV’s lymph nodes would also have been removed and tested, to determine if the cancer had spread.
The Vatican statement said 71-year-old Leo was in the operating room for about three hours with the surgery itself lasting approximately 90 minutes. “The surgery was successful, and there were no complications,” the statement said, adding that he later returned to his room.
Expert analysis and next steps
Dr Stephen Liu, a lung cancer expert at Georgetown’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, said: “Adenocarcinoma is the most common (type of lung cancer), also with the most favorable prognosis. 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?”
He said if the cancer has spread, more tests will be needed to determine what kind of therapy to pursue. Options include chemotherapy, a combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy or targeted therapy, which involves oral pills for specific cancers.
Papal schedule and prayers
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 be staying in a nearby room since the papal apartment is undergoing renovations. There was no word on whether Leo would be able to keep his planned trip to South America next month.
Oncologists advise patients not to fly for three weeks after surgery - which would allow him to make his planned trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from November 6, depending on his recovery. The current itinerary for the trip is the longest of his papacy to date, calling for Leo to clock just over 19,000 miles on a dozen flights and two helicopter rides, and a significant altitude change in Peru. Dr Liu, who is not involved in the pope's care, said: “If it is stage 1, he can complete these trips. If more treatment is needed, I would likely advise against the trips.”
The leader of Catholics in England and Wales has called on people to pray for the Pope's recovery. Archbishop Richard Moth - who is Archbishop of Westminster and president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales - asked people to pray that the Pope “may be restored to full health after a period of rest and recuperation”. He said there was a sense of “gratitude and relief” on confirmation that the surgery had been successful. He added: “We now know that Pope Leo was diagnosed with lung carcinoma and, in this month of the Holy Rosary, we entrust his recovery to the maternal care of Our Lady Health of the Sick. I ask that Catholics in England and Wales, and indeed all people of goodwill, pray for Pope Leo - in our homes and in our parishes - that he may be restored to full health after a period of rest and recuperation. We also remember all those who are experiencing illness at this time, and keep them, their families and those who care for the sick in our prayers.”
