Pope recovering “as expected” after surgery, lung cancer diagnosis

Pope Leo XIV has been diagnosed with lung cancer after undergoing surgery on Tuesday to remove a nodular lesion from his right lung, the Vatican announced. 

The 71-year-old pontiff was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, the Vatican said in a news release following the surgery, describing the operation as “successful” and with “no complications.” It said the diagnosis of lung cancer was confirmed during the surgery, which lasted 90 minutes. 

In an update shared Wednesday by the Vatican, doctors leading the pope’s care at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital said he had undergone blood tests and a chest X-ray as scheduled following the surgery and that the results “confirm a normal post-operative course: the values are within the expected range for the type of procedure performed.”

“The Holy Father has carried out respiratory physiotherapy and has begun walking around his room,” they added. “He has resumed a regular diet, having both breakfast and lunch. His recovery is proceeding as expected.”

A Vatican spokesperson said Wednesday that the pope was expected to remain hospitalized for a week from the point of his admission on Tuesday. 

In its earlier statement on the surgery, the Vatican said that, “to ensure a radical resection, the lower lobe of the right lung was removed using a video-assisted technique,” and “intraoperative histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma, as suspected from pre-operative tests.”

According to the Vatican, Leo “regained consciousness normally” following the procedure and was then taken back to his room on the 10th floor of the Gemelli Hospital, which has long provided medical care for popes.   

“The Vatican tends to keep these things under wraps, so there’ll be a lot of reading between the lines to try and detect what is the state of the pope’s health,” Candida Moss, the Edward Cadbury professor of theology at the University of Birmingham in England, told CBS News. 

“We’re going to need to get more information on his pathology,” Dr. David Jones, chief of thoracic surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, told CBS News. “Were lymph nodes involved? What’s some of the molecular pathology that’s going to be done that can help dictate what therapy, if any, is indicated?”

Leo, who was born in Chicago, is known for living an active and healthy lifestyle, including swimming and playing tennis, all factors that likely worked in his favor going into the surgery. He has maintained a busy schedule since becoming pope a year and a half ago.

Leo entered the Gemelli Hospital in the Italian capital through the main entrance earlier in the day and waved to dozens of well-wishers who had gathered to greet him. According to the Vatican, the team that performed the surgery was led by Dr. Stefano Margaritora, Gemelli’s chief thoracic surgeon. 

The Vatican on Monday canceled all Leo’s audiences through Oct. 20. There was no word on whether Leo would be able to keep his planned trip to South America next month. 

The typical recommendation for a procedure of this kind is to avoid air travel for about three weeks, which would put the pope right up against the start of that trip, which is scheduled for Nov. 6. 

Moss told CBS News that Vatican protocol calls for the pope’s cardinals and aides to step in and take up many of his duties as needed.

“We should also expect that, inasmuch as is possible, Pope Leo is going to continue to work,” Moss said. “We have a long tradition of popes — not just Pope Francis, but also Pope John Paul II, who had Parkinson’s for 10 years — who continued to remain as active as they could, and as active in Catholic liturgies as they could, right up until the end of their tenures.” 

While Gemelli has a specific papal apartment that past popes have used, complete with a private chapel on the 10th floor, Leo will actually be staying in a nearby room since the papal apartment is undergoing renovations, according to the Vatican press office. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a social media post that he and his wife were “united in prayer” for the pope. 

“May the Lord give him strength and the Holy Spirit guide the medical professionals taking care of the Holy Father,” Rubio wrote. 

The Vatican had announced on Sunday that Leo would undergo surgery after a nodular lesion was found in his lung. According to the American Thoracic Society, a lung nodule usually measures less than half an inch in size and is discovered using a CT scan. Fewer than 5% turn out to be cancer, according to the thoracic society. If a nodule is determined to be cancerous, it is usually a sign of early-stage lung cancer. 

“The doctors believe it’s best to take action, so, following their advice, I’ve decided to have surgery to remove it,” Leo said in remarks during his Sunday noon blessing. “Thank you for your spiritual support, and I entrust myself to your prayers.”

Lung adenocarcinoma is the most common type of lung cancer in the United States, according to the Lung Cancer Foundation of America, and makes up about 40% of all diagnosed lung cancers.

It forms in glandular cells on the outer parts of the lung and is likely to be diagnosed earlier than other lung cancers because it spreads more slowly, the LCFA said. Symptoms can include fatigue, shortness of breath and upper back and chest pain. Treatments can include surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and radiation. 

Louis Prevost, Pope Leo’s older brother who resides in Florida, has multiple myeloma and is undergoing treatment, his wife, Deborah Prevost, told CBS News on Tuesday.

Multiple myeloma is a form of blood cancer, according to the Mayo Clinic. It forms in plasma cells, which are a type of white blood cell, and then builds up in the bone marrow. 

Deborah Prevost did not share what stage her husband’s cancer is in, but said he is currently in a clinical trial at a local hospital where he is being treated.

She said her husband was first diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2017 but was able to maintain it at a “very low level” after undergoing treatment in 2019 that included stem cell treatment and a clinical trial. He “fell out of remission” three months ago, she said.

Deborah Prevost could not comment on the specifics of Pope Leo’s condition, but said her husband and his brother spoke last week before Louis Prevost went in for his clinical trial. Pope Leo also informed his brother of his own situation.

“He [Pope Leo] called to let us know what would be happening,” Deborah Prevost told CBS News. “We keep praying, keeping spirits up for both of them.”