Pope Leo diagnosed with lung cancer

Pope Leo has been diagnosed with lung cancer after surgeons removed a part of his right lung on Tuesday, the Vatican said in a medical bulletin.

Leo, 71 was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Tuesday for surgery to remove the growth that doctors had discovered in a recent routine health check. 

The pope has lung adenocarcinoma, a common form of cancer, with tissue tests conducted during the operation confirming what doctors had suspected from preparatory examinations, the bulletin said.

The pope’s lead surgeon, Dr. Stefano Margaritora, and his personal physician, Dr. Luigi Carbone, said in a statement that the procedure lasted about 90 minutes and was successful, with no complications.

“In order to make the procedure curative, the lower lobe of the right lung was removed using a video-assisted technique,” they said, making clear that the aim was to eliminate all cancerous tissue.

A medical expert said that in order to assess the pope’s case they would need to know the size of the tumour and whether the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes, information the Vatican did not immediately provide.

“While we have the diagnosis, we do not yet have the stage. This is critical to prognosis and treatment,” said Dr. Stephen Liu, a lung cancer expert at Georgetown University in Washington and division chief of hematology-oncology at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.

“If this is a small lung cancer with no lymph nodes involved, surgery itself is likely to be curative,” he told Reuters. “But if final analysis reveals a greater extent of cancer involvement, this indicates a poorer prognosis.” 

The pope regained consciousness normally after the operation and later returned to his hospital room, where he was resting, the medical bulletin said.

The Vatican said earlier this week that he was expected to remain in hospital for about a week and all his public events have been cancelled until October 20.

Leo, born in Chicago in 1955 as Robert Prevost, served for decades as a missionary and bishop in Peru before becoming pope. In 1985, when he was a young priest, he came down with typhoid fever in Chulucanas, Peru and was hospitalised.

He recounted the experience in his only major interview given as pope, in a book for Penguin Peru.

Leo said the pain was so bad that he asked God to die rather than continue suffering. He took his survival as a sign from God that “We need you here (on Earth),” he said.

“I never looked back,” said Leo.