NewzROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV was eating regularly Wednesday and began walking and doing respiratory exercises, and his post-operative tests are normal following surgery to remove a cancerous mass from his lung, the Vatican said.Leo’s two doctors, Dr. Luigi Carbone and thoracic surgeon Dr. Stefano Margaritora, provided a medical update on Wednesday.
Blood tests and a chest x-ray confirmed a normal post-operative recovery, with levels within the norm, they said.“The Holy Father underwent respiratory physiotherapy and has begun walking in his room. He resumed his regular diet and had breakfast and lunch,” they reported. “Recovery is proceeding as planned.”Tuesday's surgery showed the 71-year-old pope has the most common type of lung cancer, known as lung adenocarcinoma.
Experts said further tests are needed to know if the disease has spread and if more treatment is needed, but those test results weren't yet available on Wednesday.The revelation of the diagnosis — within a few hours of an operation that was announced by Leo himself — offered further evidence that the American pontiff is taking a new approach to communicating about his health.The Vatican said the surgery lasted approximately 90 minutes and was successful, with no complications.Doctors were waiting for the results of further tests before deciding on a course of treatment, the Vatican said. The press office pointed to the medical statement’s mention of the “radical” removal of the lobe as an indication that doctors took out all suspect tissue in hopes of removing any lingering traces of the cancer.The right lung has three sections or lobes while the left has two. After one lobe is removed, the rest of the lung can gradually compensate, especially in otherwise healthy and physically active people.
Leo is known to be sporty, with weekly tennis games and swimming.Experts said some of Leo’s lymph nodes also would have been removed and tested to determine if the cancer had spread. There was no word yet on those test results.If the cancer has spread, tests will determine what kind of therapy to pursue, said Dr. Stephen Liu, a lung cancer expert at Georgetown’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Options include chemotherapy, a combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy or targeted therapy, which involves pills for specific cancers.Liu, who is not involved in the pope’s care, said adenocarcinoma is the … His post-operative tests are normal following surgery to remove a cancerous mass from his lung, the Vatican said Wednesday. ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV spent a peaceful night in Rome’s Gemelli hospital after doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung and confirmed he has cancer, the Vatican said Wednesday.
The revelation — within a few hours of an operation that was announced by Leo himself — offered further evidence that the American pontiff is taking a new approach to communicating about his health.The Vatican said the surgery lasted approximately 90 minutes and was successful, with no complications.Doctors were waiting for the results of further tests before deciding on a course of treatment, the Vatican said. “We now need to know how big it is, how many spots in the lung are involved. Is it just one nodule, or more than one, and the lymph nodes, are they cancerous?”Dr.
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