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The surgery took place at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital and lasted around 90 minutes, according to the Holy See Press Office. Tests confirmed a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, the Vatican said in a medical bulletin after the surgery. It said the diagnosis had been suspected based on preoperative tests and was confirmed during surgery. Pope Leo awoke normally after the operation and returned to his room on the hospital’s 10th floor following a brief period of observation, Vatican News reported. The Vatican has not announced any change to the Pope’s expected hospital stay of one week.
The Vatican said doctors were not currently considering chemotherapy or other therapies pending the results of further tests. The Vatican press office noted that the medical statement’s reference to the “radical” removal of the lobe indicated that doctors had removed all suspected tissue in the hope of eliminating any remaining traces of the cancer. Following the surgery, Pope Leo asked for dinner and spent the evening with his secretaries and other Vatican staff, Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, said, according to Vatican News.
The Pope spent approximately three hours in the operating room. Pope Leo XIV under went successful surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung on Tuesday after an examination confirmed he had lung cancer.