Pope's surgeon details operating on "ideal patient" after lung cancer discovered

The surgeon who operated on Pope Leo XIV earlier this week detailed in an interview with Vatican News how the pope's cancer was discovered, moments before and after his surgical procedure and the importance of prevention. 

The pope was discharged from the hospital Saturday — four days after his surgery — to a large crowd of well-wishers cheering for him.  

Dr. Stefano Margaritora, director of the thoracic surgery unit at the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital Foundation, spoke to the Vatican News in a lengthy interview and said the pope's lung cancer was discovered "entirely by chance."

"The Holy Father falls into the category of people who discover they have lung cancer entirely by chance — not because they are undergoing preventive screening, but because they undergo examinations for other reasons," Margaritora said. 

Margaritora said the tumor was found at the base of the right lung, but if it had been "a little higher up, it certainly would not have been seen." 

Unfortunately, the doctor said, in its early stages, cancers can show no symptoms — such as the lung cancer the pope was diagnosed with. That's why regular preventive checkups for other cancers are so important, he said. 

"He had no respiratory symptoms and felt perfectly well," said Margaritora.

The 71-year-old pontiff revealed the news at the end of his Sunday noon blessing last week before thousands of people in St. Peter's Square.

Margaritora said the operation to remove a lung nodule was routine and went forward "without any complications." The pope was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, a common cancer, during the surgery.

The doctor said that for the four days the pope recovered at Rome's Gemelli Hospital, he was "an ideal patient."

"I am not saying that to flatter him. He truly did not cause the slightest problem for the team caring for him ... ," the doctor told Vatican News. 

He said on the second day following the surgery, medical staff found the pope arranging the chairs in the hospital's makeshift chapel. Margaritora recounted that staff offered to move the chairs, "Holy Father, we can do that." And he replied, "It doesn't matter. I can do it, so I will." 

The pope had already resumed some work activity on Thursday. By Friday, the pope had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the phone. Pictures of the American-born pope standing at an altar in green vestments, celebrating Mass at a small hospital chapel, were released by the Vatican.

He also held separate meetings with Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the dean of the College of Cardinals, and Cardinal Baldassare Reina, the vicar general of the Diocese of Rome. The pope is scheduled to travel Nov. 6-17 to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.