What we know about Pope Leo's lung cancer and prognosis
The Vatican says Pope Leo has lung cancer and that doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung in a surgery that lasted roughly 90 minutes. In a statement, the Vatican called the operation "successful" and said there were "no complications." For more on the Pope's prognosis, Geoff Bennett spoke with Dr. Omer Awan, a physician and senior public health contributor at Forbes.
Vatican officials confirmed that Pope Leo has been diagnosed with lung cancer, and surgeons successfully removed the lower lobe of his right lung. The 90-minute operation was declared successful with no reported complications. Dr. Omer Awan, a radiologist and public health contributor for Forbes, provided insight into the type and seriousness of the diagnosis.
The cancer is adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer, which can affect both smokers and non-smokers. Dr. Awan expressed optimism about the prognosis, as the cancer was localized and the removed lesion was a nodule, measuring three centimeters or less. Recovery from the surgery will involve walking, eating, bathroom use, and breathing exercises, with full recovery potentially taking weeks or months depending on the patient's overall health and lung function.
Written by urgent.news from PBS NewsHour Health's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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