Pope to Undergo Lung Surgery This Week

Pope Leo XIV announced Sunday that he will undergo surgery this week to remove a small, localized nodule found in his lung during recent medical tests.

The Vatican did not specify the type of lung surgery, but stated the n,odule was detected during recent medical tests.

A lung nodule is a small mass of tissue detected through X-ray or CT scan screening. It may be caused by various factors, including irritants such as air pollution, diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, and scar tissue from previous infections.

The pontiff described the nodule as being at an early stage, though it remains unclear whether a biopsy was conducted before the decision to proceed with surgery.

Dr. Ankit Bharat, the chief of thoracic surgery at Northwestern Medicine, noted that the decision to perform surgery without a biopsy may indicate a higher level of concern about the nodule.

Lung cancer is more treatable if caught early. The deadly cancer is most often caused by cigarette smoking, but about 20% of lung cancer cases are diagnosed in people who have never smoked or used tobacco, according to the American Cancer Society.

However, finding a nodule on a scan doesn’t confirm a cancer diagnosis, Bharat said, and the surgery will reveal more information as doctors are able to examine the nodule under a microscope.

Advances in the procedures mean they are generally less invasive, and some patients begin walking within a day or two.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni stated the surgery is scheduled for the first days of this week, with an estimated post-operative recovery time of about one week.

If the surgery is more extensive, recovery could take three to four weeks. Doctors suggested the pope’s recovery may be slower due to his age, which is 71.

The pontiff has a major trip scheduled to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru in November. Doctors suggest he could make the trip if the surgery is minimally invasive and there are no surprise findings. If the nodule is cancerous, doctors will determine whether he can be treated while traveling or the trip may need to be postponed.