Pope Leo needs no further lung cancer treatment, Vatican says
By Max Saltman, Barbie Nadeau, Christopher Lamb, CNN
(CNN) — Pope Leo XIV’s lung cancer surgery last week was a success, and no further treatment is required, the Vatican press office said in a bulletin Wednesday.
“The final histological reports and molecular biology analyses of the tissue removed during the Holy Father’s surgery have been completed today,” said Dr. Luigi Carbone, the pope’s personal physician, and Dr. Stefano Margaritora, a thoracic surgery professor who led the surgical team.
“The results have confirmed that the condition was a pulmonary adenocarcinoma and that the disease was localized. A subsequent oncological evaluation has confirmed that no further therapy is required,” the bulletin added.
Pulmonary adenocarcinoma is the most common type of lung cancer, accounting for roughly 40% of all cases. It’s slow-moving and often affects nonsmokers.
Leo’s announcement on October 11 that he required surgery for a “nodule” on his lung came as a shock both within and outside the Vatican, given the pope’s penchant for clean living. After a short stay at a hospital in Rome, where doctors removed the lobe of his left lung, Leo returned home on October 17.
The next day, he made his first public appearance since his diagnosis, leading the Sunday Angelus from the balcony of the Apostolic Palace.
“This experience has given me a profound sense of closeness to all those who are going through illness or a state of infirmity,” he told crowds of worshipers.
Pope Leo’s recovery has beeen much faster than normal, according to Dr. Juanita Mora, the national medical spokesperson for the American Lung Association, who was not part of his care team. She said doctors will monitor the pope after his recent treatment, including follow-up CT scans every three to six months for the first few years, then annually to check for any regrowth.
After such surgery, patients often have respiratory physiotherapy to restore breathing capacity, Mora told CNN, adding that his affected lung should regain full function.
The all-clear arrives ahead of the pontiff’s planned South America trip next month. The news that the pope had cancer complicated plans for the journey, scheduled to include stops in Peru, Uruguay and Argentina and require at least 14 flights.
Though the Vatican has not officially confirmed the pope’s plans for travel, Margaritora, his surgeon, told Vatican News that he saw “no clinical reasons” for canceling the trip.
If the trip goes ahead, the pontiff will probably be told to walk during his travels to prevent blood clots that can form during long flights, according to Mora. The pope, she said, should get Covid-19, flu and RSV vaccines ahead of his trip for “a little extra protection in case he were to get any of the respiratory infections.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
The-CNN-Wire
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CNN’s Sharon Braithwaite and Jen Christensen contributed reporting.
