Pope Diagnosed With Lung Cancer Following Surgery, Vatican Says

Pope Leo XIV was diagnosed with cancer following successful lung surgery Tuesday, the Vatican said.

Physicians of the first American pope, Dr. Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora, said that the Holy Father underwent thoracic surgery described as a “radical procedure,” resulting in the removal of the lower lobe of his right lung using a video-assisted technique, according to the Holy See Press Office. (RELATED: ‘Breaking Bad’ Star Dies Tragically At 34)

An examination of the lung confirmed the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, which the doctors said had been suspected following tests taken before the surgery.

Adenocarcinoma is the most common subtype of lung cancer and is often found in the lining of organs that create and secrete bodily fluids, according to City of Hope, which said that this form of cancer grows more slowly than other types of lung cancer and is more likely than other non-small cell lung cancers to be found before having a chance to spread.

The survival rate is dependent on the cancer’s stage and prognosis, City of Hope said. If non-small cell lung cancer is limited to the lung, the five-year survival rate is 63 percent; if it has metastasized outside the lung to nearby tissue, the five-year survival rate is about 35 percent; and if it has reached further areas of the body, the five-year survival rate is 7 percent.

The Vatican did not release information regarding the current stage of the cancer or if further treatment is being considered.

“The Holy Father was in the operating theatre for approximately three hours; the operation itself lasted about ninety minutes.” Carbone and Margaritora said. “The operation was successful and there were no complications.”

The doctors added that the pope woke up as normal and was held for a brief period of observation before returning to his room.