•Doctors remove lower lobe of his right lung
•Vatican cancels pontiff’s engagements
Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
Pope Leo XIV has been diagnosed with lung cancer and has undergone surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung, the Vatican confirmed yesterday, raising fresh questions about the health of the 71-year-old pontiff.
The Vatican disclosed that tests conducted during the operation confirmed a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, a common form of lung cancer. The diagnosis had been suspected before the surgery, according to a medical bulletin issued after the procedure.
The surgery, performed at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, lasted approximately 90 minutes, while the pontiff spent about three hours in the operating room. The Vatican said the operation was successful and there were no complications.
“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,” it added. According to the Vatican, Leo regained consciousness normally after the procedure and was returned to his room on the hospital’s 10th floor.
However, the Vatican did not disclose the stage of the cancer, whether it had spread beyond the affected portion of the lung or whether the pope would require additional treatment.
The development comes after the Vatican announced on Sunday that Leo would undergo surgery following the discovery of a nodular lesion in his lung.
Speaking during his Sunday noon blessing, the pontiff said he had accepted his doctors’ recommendation to remove the abnormal growth. “The doctors believe it’s best to take action, so, following their advice, I’ve decided to have surgery to remove it,” Leo said. “Thank you for your spiritual support, and I entrust myself to your prayers,” he stressed.
The Vatican subsequently cancelled all the pope’s scheduled audiences through October 20, although it has yet to announce whether the disruption will affect his planned South American trip, scheduled to begin on November 6.
Medical recommendations following procedures of this kind typically include avoiding air travel for approximately three weeks, potentially leaving the pontiff with little time to recover before the planned journey.
CBS News, which reported the development, quoted Candida Moss, the Edward Cadbury professor of theology at the University of Birmingham in England, as saying the Vatican’s limited disclosures could make it difficult to determine the full extent of the pope’s condition.
“The Vatican tends to keep these things under wraps, so there’ll be a lot of reading between the lines to try and detect what is the state of the pope’s health,” Moss told CBS News.
Moss added that Vatican protocol provides for cardinals and aides to assume many of the pontiff’s responsibilities when necessary. “We should also expect that, in as much as is possible, Pope Leo is going to continue to work,” Moss said.
“We have a long tradition of popes — not just Pope Francis, but also Pope John Paul II, who had Parkinson’s for 10 years — who continued to remain as active as they could, and as active in Catholic liturgies as they could, right up until the end of their tenures,” Miss explained.
Leo is known for maintaining an active lifestyle, including swimming and playing tennis, factors that may have helped him prepare for the operation.
Earlier on Tuesday, the pope walked through the main entrance of Gemelli Hospital and waved to dozens of well-wishers gathered to greet him before the procedure.
The Vatican said the operation was conducted by a medical team led by the hospital’s chief thoracic surgeon, Dr Stefano Margaritora.
Although Gemelli Hospital has a dedicated papal apartment used by previous pontiffs, complete with a private chapel on the 10th floor, Leo is staying in a nearby hospital room because the apartment is undergoing renovations, the Vatican press office said.
Lung adenocarcinoma is the most common type of lung cancer in the United States, accounting for approximately 40 per cent of diagnosed cases, according to the Lung Cancer Foundation of America.
The disease develops in glandular cells, often in the outer regions of the lungs. It can be detected at an earlier stage than some other forms of lung cancer because it may progress more slowly, although its behaviour varies from patient to patient.
Possible symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, and pain in the chest or upper back. Treatment options depend on the stage and extent of the disease and may include surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and radiation.
The Vatican has not disclosed whether Leo will require any of these additional treatments following the removal of the affected lung lobe, the CBS report said.