Posted on 10/14/2026 5:55:47 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
While Pope Leo's lung cancer diagnosis may have come as a shock to Catholics this week, the prognosis is likely a lot less scary.
The cancer, adenocarcinoma, is a common one, and while worrisome if caught late, has a track record of high rates of survival with early intervention.
"The fact that surgery was the first tool that they utilized is a really good sign," says Dr. Vin Gupta, a pulmonologist and board member of the American Lung Association. "It suggests that they think this is early stage."
Leo underwent surgery in Rome on Tuesday, which he announced over the weekend. But while he mentioned a "nodule" would be the target, the 90-minute operation resulted in a larger part of his right lung being removed. Still, Gupta says that isn't inherently a bad sign.
“People have parts of their lungs removed all the time for all sorts of reasons, and they recover just fine," says Gupta. "And in his case, he's pretty robust at baseline from a health standpoint."
At 71, Leo still exercises regularly, including a weekly tennis game, which will help with his road to recovery.
"He had a minimally invasive surgery," says Dr. Jonathan Villena Vargas, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City. "When we do this, because we do this all the time, most patients are allowed to travel about two weeks after the surgery."
That outlook bodes well for the pope's calendar, which has only been cleared of events until Oct. 20. After that, barring any updates from the Vatican, he's expected to travel to South America in November, visiting a number of countries including Peru, where he lived for decades.
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According to an acquaintance of mine, a Pulmonary specialist…
When part of your lung is removed, the remaining lung tissue stretches and expands to fill up part of the space inside the chest.
The healthy parts of your lungs adapt and work harder to take over the workload of the missing section.
The Surrounding chest structures and organs may shift slightly to adjust for the empty space left behind.
This is great news.
Pray for Pope Leo.
In before the sedevacantists.
How unfortunate.
Keep Leo in your prayers.
Was Pope Leo a smoker?
From ChatGPT:
No, Pope Leo XIV is not known to be a smoker. Following his lung cancer diagnosis on October 13, 2026, the Vatican confirmed that he has no history of smoking
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