Pope León XIV, 71, underwent surgery this Tuesday at Rome's Gemelli Polyclinic. Doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung, and a tissue analysis confirmed pulmonary adenocarcinoma, according to the Vatican press office.
According to BioBioChile, the Holy See's statement specifies that the operation lasted approximately ninety minutes. According to the official statement, "the procedure was successful, without complications".
Adenocarcinoma is a type of lung cancer. It originates in the glandular cells of the tissue lining internal organs, according to Cooperativa's description. The Vatican statement does not use the word "cancer," although various medical societies classify this tumor as such.
The diagnosis was confirmed during the surgery itself. The Vatican explained that "an intraoperative histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma, as suspected in the preoperative tests". An intraoperative histological examination is a rapid analysis of a tissue sample while the patient is still in the operating room, to guide the surgeon's decision.
Doctors used a video-assisted technique, a minimally invasive surgery in which the team operates with a camera through small incisions in the chest. The Holy See said the entire lobe was removed "to ensure the operation was radical", meaning to remove the tumor completely with a margin of healthy tissue.
The previous Sunday, the pontiff himself had announced that medical checkups had detected a lung nodule "at a very early stage and well localized". That description is consistent with a situation in which surgery is the main treatment. However, the medical team has not specified whether León XIV will need chemotherapy or other additional treatment, and the Vatican has not provided a prognosis.
After the operation, the pope woke up normally and, following a brief observation period, returned to his room on the tenth floor of Gemelli. According to Vatican sources, he even asked for dinner. He will remain hospitalized for his recovery and postoperative examinations.
The surgical team was led by Professor Stefano Margaritora, head of thoracic surgery at Gemelli, alongside Elisa Meacci, Maria Teresa Congedo and Leonardo Petracca Ciavarella. Massimo Antonelli, Giovanni Punzo and Giuseppe Bello handled the anesthesia. The pope's physician, Luigi Carbone, and the head of the Vatican gendarmerie were also present.
The operation comes less than a month before León XIV's first trip to Latin America. The pontiff, who is American-born and holds Peruvian nationality, is scheduled to visit Uruguay, Argentina and Peru between November 6 and 17. On Sunday, he thanked the Brotherhood of the Lord of Miracles in Rome "for their prayers for the pastoral visit I will make to Peru". Following the diagnosis, the Vatican has provided no updates on the tour.
