What to know about Pope Leo XIV's upcoming lung surgery

Pope Leo XIV is set to undergo surgery in the coming days to remove a small nodule from his lung that was discovered during routine medical exams. This marks the first time a pope has publicly disclosed a personal medical issue during his 17-month papacy. Speaking in St. Peter's Square, the 71-year-old pontiff revealed doctors found the nodule during recent checkups and deemed surgery the best course of action.

A pulmonary nodule is a dense, round area in the lung that is typically non-cancerous, often discovered incidentally during scans for other health concerns. However, a small percentage of nodules can indicate early-stage lung cancer, particularly in older individuals, smokers, or those with a family history of the disease. If the nodule is cancerous and surgically removed early, the prognosis is generally excellent, with surgery alone often sufficient as treatment.

Lung nodules are quite common, appearing in about one-third to one-half of all chest CT scans or X-rays. They can be benign, resulting from lung infections or inflammation, or malignant, caused by lung cancer or cancer that has metastasized. The surgery involves being put under general anesthesia while a tube assists with breathing.

Pope Leo will spend approximately a week in the hospital at Rome's Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, which has a special apartment for pontiffs equipped with a meeting room for medical staff, kitchen, bathroom, rest areas, and a chapel.

While in surgery, the Vatican has no formal protocol for temporary leadership, but past popes, including Pope Francis and John Paul II, have continued to govern from the hospital. This lack of clear guidelines has raised questions about the church's preparedness for a pontiff who may become too ill or incapacitated to lead.