Pope Leo XIV has been diagnosed with lung cancer after undergoing surgery Tuesday, according to a statement from the Vatican.
Doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung, and confirmed his diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma.
According to a medical bulletin shared by the Vatican, the diagnosis had been suspected by preoperative tests and was confirmed during surgery.
The cancer was caught early, and the Vatican said in a statement that doctors removed all suspect tissue in hopes of removing any lingering traces of the cancer.
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According to Dr. Leonard Wudel, a Louisiana Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery physcian, survival rates for lung cancer are very good when caught early.
“When we can diagnose a patient with stage one, that is when we can have the biggest impact. He had exactly what he needed, which was surgical removal,” Wudel said. “The cure rate is between 73 and 93 percent, and that depends on the type of cancer, how aggressive it is, and the overall health of the patient.”
Wudel said the type of cancer the Pope has is relatively common, and that non-small-cell lung cancer has a good prognosis.
“These tend to be pretty good actors in terms of cancers, in terms of the overall prognosis for the patient, so we expect him to do really well,”said Wudel. “He will now be in a final stage with the pathology team. Provided it stays stage one, he will fall under surveillance, which would result in scans every six months for two years and then once a year thereafter.”
READ MORE:Louisiana doctor describes survival rate of lung cancer after Pope Leo’s diagnosis
