Pope Leo XIV Diagnosed With Lung Adenocarcinoma; Vatican Bulletin Says Lower Lobe of Right Lung Removed, Surgery Successful With No Complications

ROME — The Holy See Press Office issued a medical bulletin on Tuesday evening saying that a histological examination performed during Pope Leo XIV's surgery that afternoon confirmed a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, as had been suspected from preoperative tests. According to the bulletin, surgeons used a video-assisted technique to remove the lower lobe of the pope's right lung in order to ensure the radical removal of the tumor. The bulletin was released by Dr. Luigi Carbone, the pope's personal physician, together with Professor Stefano Margaritora, the Gemelli Hospital thoracic surgeon who performed the operation.

The bulletin said the pope was in the operating room for about three hours, while the operation itself lasted approximately 90 minutes. The surgery was successful and there were no complications. The pope woke up normally after the surgery and, following a brief period of observation, returned to his room on the hospital's 10th floor.

GSM reported earlier on Tuesday that the surgery to remove the nodule from the pope's lung had been completed successfully and that he had returned to his room. At that time the Vatican had not disclosed the pathology of the nodule, and GSM did not speculate. This report is a follow-up with the confirmed pathology results.

Leo, 71, revealed during his Sunday prayer in St. Peter's Square on October 11 that doctors had found a small nodule on his lung during a recent checkup, that it had been spotted early and was well localized, and that he had decided to have it removed. He underwent the surgery on Tuesday afternoon at Rome's Agostino Gemelli University Policlinic.

The Vatican has previously said the pope is expected to spend about a week in hospital recovering, and all of his audiences through October 20 have been canceled. Tuesday evening's bulletin did not mention a cancer stage and did not announce any further treatment plan; according to the Associated Press, the pope's treatment plan and next steps were not immediately made clear, and further postoperative tests are expected in the coming days. The Vatican statement was carried by Reuters and the Associated Press.

Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 教宗良十四世在圣彼得大殿中央阳台向广场信众挥手致意（资料图），INFOWeather1 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0（Wikimedia Commons）

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