VATICAN CITY (PerMariam) — Pope Leo underwent surgery for lung cancer on October 13, after doctors discovered a nodule on his lung during routine tests.
According to the Vatican, the Pope’s 90-minute surgery on Tuesday afternoon was successful and completed on schedule with no complications. He was then transferred back to his room after a period of observation, where he asked for some dinner.
After the brief initial update from the Vatican, full details arrived just before 10pm local time on Tuesday, with the signature of the lead surgeon Professor Stefano Margaritora.
Doctors removed the lower lobe of the Pope’s right lung using a video-assisted procedure.
Upon tests, the pre-op suspicion of lung cancer was confirmed, with doctors diagnosing the Pope with lung adenocarcinoma – the most common form of lung cancer.
Although the nodule was described as small, the doctors removed a large section of the lung in order to lessen the risk of leaving any potentially cancerous tissue in the body. This can be a common problem when removing cancerous tissue during operations.
However, the Vatican spokesman was clear to note he was not saying the Pope has been given a clean bill of health. The doctors’ expert advice is very much guiding the way in terms of the information which is distributed publicly.
All papal audiences have already been cancelled until October 20, and the Vatican had stated prior to the operation that the Pope would require a week of recovery.
Any decision on pursuing further treatment such as chemotherapy, or a determination on whether the cancer has spread more than originally thought, remains unclear at this early stage. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni was careful not to speculate or exceed the precise information he received from the doctors.
Some have speculated online that Leo knew for some time of his diagnosis. This would seem to contradict the official information, along with that shared by his older brother who told Newsmax on Tuesday that he had only learned of the Pope’s diagnosis after the Sunday Angelus announcement on October 11.
Leo has kept active and in good health, perhaps in part due to his own knowledge of his family’s history regarding cancer. Both his parents died of cancer and his older brother Louis was diagnosed with cancer in 2017: he is currently in hospital in Florida undergoing treatment.
For now, the Vatican will issue daily updates regarding the Pope’s health and take things very much one day at a time.
The surgery appears to have been successful and the Pope is responding well to it and in good humour, according to what those around him are saying.
Now the Vatican will watch and wait to see if the arduous South American voyage which begins on November 6 will be cancelled, amended, or just proceed as planned.