Pope Leo XIV undergoes surgery to remove lung adenocarcinoma, the most common lung tumor
Surgeons removed a lobe of Pope Leo XIV's right lung at Rome's Policlinico Gemelli on 13 October. A test during the operation confirmed an adenocarcinoma, which the Pope described as being at a very early stage.
The operation
Surgeons at the Policlinico Gemelli in Rome removed a lobe of the right lung from Pope Leo XIV on 13 October, and the Vatican described the operation as successful. The Pope is 71. Repubblica and Rai say the removed section was the lower lobe, while Adnkronos reports only that a lobe was taken out. Reports also differ on the length of the procedure: il Giornale put it at about three hours, whereas Repubblica gave 90 minutes. Rai noted that the official bulletin described a video-assisted technique, which avoids the wide chest incision of a conventional thoracotomy. Afterwards the Pope returned to his apartment on the tenth floor of the hospital, where he is expected to spend several days before resuming his routine.
Diagnosis and stage
A rapid tissue examination carried out during the operation confirmed the diagnosis that doctors had suspected from earlier tests. The Vatican medical bulletin stated the finding as follows:
The extemporaneous histological examination has confirmed the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, as suspected from the pre-operative tests.
Adenocarcinoma is the most common form of non-small cell lung cancer, accounting for about 60% of cases according to the AIRC cancer association cited by Italian outlets. It tends to develop in the outer parts of the lung and is most often found in non-smokers, in women and in people under 45 to 50. The Pope described the growth as a nodule "in a very early stage and well localized", and Rai reported that the five-year survival rate for a first-stage adenocarcinoma is above 80%, though further tests are needed to judge his own case. Vatican sources said the doctors did not discuss chemotherapy with the Pope.
- Lower lobe of the right lung removed at the Policlinico Gemelli
- Quick histological examination confirms adenocarcinoma, per the Vatican medical bulletin
- Pope returns to his tenth-floor apartment, with pending tests on tissue and lymph nodes
Treatment decisions ahead
The lymph nodes removed during surgery will be examined, and the tumor tissue will undergo molecular testing. Repubblica said doctors will look for targets for which targeted drugs exist, including EGFR, ALK, ROS1, KRAS, BRAF, MET and RET, and will measure PD-L1 expression to determine whether immunotherapy is suitable. Depending on the stage and those results, oncologists may propose targeted drugs or immunotherapy, with or without chemotherapy, and in some cases radiotherapy after surgery. Il Giornale noted that if the lymph nodes were affected, post-operative therapy would be required, whereas clear results could mean surgery alone was enough. No treatment decision has been announced.
Recovery and next steps
The bulletin issued after the operation described the coming period in measured terms. Its wording was:
the next 24-48 hours will now be the most delicate to establish the course
The same bulletin said the first elements pointed to a successful operation and a rapid recovery. Further examinations will determine the post-operative course, and the medical team has not yet set a treatment plan.