Hospitals
Pope Leo XIV to undergo surgery to remove early-stage lung nodule
A lung nodule does not confirm cancer, and the Vatican says Leo’s surgery is scheduled for the first days of this week.
Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to have surgery this week to remove a small, localized lung nodule that the Vatican said was detected at a very early stage. The Vatican has not said what type of lung surgery he will have. It expects about a week of post-operative recovery and said the nodule was found during recent medical tests.
The finding does not confirm cancer, Dr. Ankit Bharat, chief of thoracic surgery at Northwestern Medicine, told NBC News. The surgery will give doctors more information about the nodule, NBC reported. Leo is due to travel to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru in November. ABC News said it is unclear whether surgery and recovery will affect the trip. NBC reported he may be able to go if the procedure is minimally invasive and there are no unexpected findings.
