Vatican City, Oct 14 (V7N)- Pope Leo XIV, the head of the Catholic Church, has been diagnosed with lung cancer after undergoing surgery to remove part of his right lung, the Vatican said on Tuesday.

According to a Vatican medical bulletin, the 71-year-old pope was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma, a common type of lung cancer. Tissue collected during the operation confirmed the presence of cancer, matching doctors’ suspicions based on tests conducted before the surgery.

Doctors detected an abnormal growth in the pope’s lung during a recent routine health examination. He was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday for surgery to remove the affected tissue.

The pope’s chief physician, Dr. Stefano Margaritora, and personal physician, Dr. Luigi Carbone, said the operation lasted approximately 90 minutes and was completed successfully without complications.

The lower portion of the pope’s right lung was removed through video-assisted thoracotomy, with the aim of eliminating all cancerous tissue and curing the disease.

However, the extent and stage of the cancer remain unclear. Medical experts say information about the tumour’s size and whether it has spread to the lymph nodes will be important in determining the next steps in treatment.

“We know the diagnosis of the disease, but we do not know at what stage it is. This is very important in determining the future course of the disease and treatment,” Dr. Stephen Liu, a lung cancer specialist at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and head of the hematology-oncology department at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, told Reuters.

Liu said surgery alone could potentially cure the disease if the tumour is small and has not spread to the lymph nodes. However, if further examination reveals that the cancer has spread, the prognosis could be less favourable.

The Vatican’s medical bulletin said Pope Leo regained consciousness naturally after surgery and was subsequently transferred to a hospital room, where he is resting.

The Vatican had earlier indicated that the pope was expected to remain in hospital for about a week. All his public engagements have been cancelled through October 20.

END/SMA/AJ