From CBS News · · 1m 20s
Pope Leo XIV to have lung surgery this week
The 71-year-old pontiff will undergo surgery to remove a nodular lesion found during routine medical checks, with recovery expected to take a week.
In brief
The 71-year-old pontiff will undergo surgery to remove a nodular lesion found during routine medical checks, with recovery expected to take a week. Pope Leo XIV, 71, will undergo surgery this week to remove a nodular lesion discovered in his lung during medical checks, with recovery expected to take a week. Originally…
Pope announces lung surgery
Pope Leo XIV, 71, said Sunday that doctors found a nodular lesion in his lung during recent medical checks. He described it as early stage and circumscribed.
“The doctors believe it's best to take action, so, following their advice, I've decided to have surgery to remove it.”
Surgery planned for first days of week
Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni said the pope would be hospitalized in the first days of the week. He is expected to be treated at Rome's Gemelli Hospital, which has a special apartment for the pope.
What lung nodules are
A lung nodule is a small abnormal area measuring less than one inch that sometimes appears on a CT scan.
Surgery can provide definitive diagnosis
Dr. Stephen Liu, a lung cancer expert at Georgetown's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, said surgical removal can provide a definitive diagnosis when there is sufficient concern and it is safe based on the nodule's location…
“When there is sufficient concern, and when it is safe to do so based on the location of the nodule and the overall health of the patient, surgical removal can provide a definitive diagnosis.”
Trip to South America may be affected
Pope Leo has a major trip planned November sixth to seventeenth to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.
The bottom line
Pope Leo XIV, 71, will undergo surgery this week to remove a nodular lesion discovered in his lung during medical checks, with recovery expected to take a week.
