Dr. Stefano Margaritora, professor of thoracic surgery at the Catholic University of Sacred Heart, led the team that operated on the Pope at Gemelli, which has long provided care for Popes. The surgery was prompted after the Pope’s medical team, led by Dr. Luigi Carbone, found a suspicious nodule and performed tests that suggested it could be cancerous, according to a statement released by the Vatican. During the 90-minute operation, Margaritora removed the lower lobe of the Pope’s right lung, and further testing of the tissue confirmed adenocarcinoma.
How is lung cancer detected?
Current recommendations in the U.S. and most of the world advise low-dose CT scans to screen for lung cancer in high-risk people only: those 50 years or older who have smoked heavily in the past or who currently smoke. Many non-smokers are diagnosed with lung cancer when they get a chest CT for another reason, such as after an accident or other injury. Some advocacy and patient groups are pushing for expanded screening among those at higher risk so that more people can benefit from early detection, including those who are younger and may have been exposed to other factors that can increase lung cancer risk, like radon in the environment. “The best chance to cure lung cancer is when it’s Stage 1 and very early,” says Dr. David Jones, chief or thoracic surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, who was not involved in the Pope’s care. “That’s what screening can help with.”
Surgeons decided to remove part of the Pope’s lung “to ensure a radical resection,” according to the Vatican statement. That means doctors wanted to be sure they removed any tissue that might be cancerous, giving the Pope the strongest chance of avoiding any recurrence of disease.
How long will the Pope be hospitalized?
The Pope’s treatment options depend on what additional tests on his tumor reveal. For some patients with Stage 1 cancer that has not spread to the lymph nodes, surgery and monitoring for recurrence may be sufficient, says Jones.
Some patients can rely on targeted therapies alone and avoid chemotherapy, says Jones, while others may need chemo with immunotherapy, depending on how much of the cancer surgeons were able to remove and whether the cancer had spread to the lymph nodes.
Will Pope Leo be able to resume his papal duties?
The Vatican reports that prior to the surgery, the Pope was active, playing tennis and taking regular walks, and with the range of treatment options now available to treat his cancer, experts believe he should be able to return to his daily activities. “Advances in treatments all point to better prognosis and quality of life for patients with lung cancer,” says Jones. “And given his history of physical activity, even after removing one lobe of his lung, he should be able to do what he wants to do with very little limitation.”
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