A great insight into the man who is now the most famous cancer patient in the world, from Vatican News:
“I would say there are no clinical reasons why this visit should not take place.”
Professor Stefano Margaritora, the surgeon who operated on Pope Leo XIV’s lung on Tuesday, October 13, told Vatican News that, from a medical standpoint, the Pope can undertake the demanding visit to Latin America scheduled for November 6–17.
Dr. Margaritora is Professor of Thoracic Surgery at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart and Director of the Thoracic Surgery Unit at the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital Foundation.
Q: Professor, first of all, how is Pope Leo XIV?
At the time of his discharge from the hospital, Pope Leo was in entirely satisfactory clinical condition. His blood test results were completely normal, and his heart function was fine.
The lung’s re-expansion after surgery is proceeding according to the usual timetable. So, overall, his condition is good.
Q: Can you tell us how the lung adenocarcinoma was discovered?
The discovery of the Pope’s malignant lung tumor was entirely accidental, as unfortunately often happens.
During routine abdominal examinations, this small spot was found in the chest, at the base of the lung. This is fairly normal because, when radiological examinations of the abdomen are performed, the lower part of the lungs is usually visible, since the diaphragm is shaped somewhat like a parachute.
However, if this small spot had been a little higher up, it certainly would not have been seen.
Q: What does the Holy Father’s experience over the past few weeks teach us? How important is prevention?
Prevention is extremely important. The Holy Father falls into the category of people who discover they have lung cancer entirely by chance – not because they are undergoing preventive screening, but because they undergo examinations for other reasons.
For example, someone falls from a tree, goes to the emergency room for an X-ray, and a spot on the lung becomes visible. Or it is found during tests carried out for other reasons.
It would therefore be important for people, especially those at risk, to undergo regular preventive checkups – not only for other cancers for which widespread screening exists, such as breast or colon cancer, but also for lung cancer.
Unfortunately, especially in its early stages, this cancer causes no symptoms. We saw that in the Holy Father’s case: he had no respiratory symptoms and felt perfectly well.
Q: How would you describe the surgery? Was it a complicated operation?
It would be dishonest of me to say it was very complicated in order to make it sound heroic. In fact, the Holy Father’s operation was routine in the sense that, in similar cases involving a lung tumor of a certain size, the entire lobe containing it has to be removed.
In the Holy Father’s case, that was the lower lobe of the right lung. So, from that standpoint, it was a routine operation.
Q: Are you satisfied with the outcome of the surgery, Professor?
Yes, very much so. The operation went ahead without any complications, and that is what we always hope for before every operation. Unfortunately, that is not always how things go.
Q: Are you pleased with his postoperative recovery?
Yes, we are truly pleased with it. The Holy Father has put his heart and soul into his recovery, as the most motivated people do after this kind of operation.
As a result, he needed very little assistance from us. His determination to recover quickly has been effective in every respect. It was truly commendable.
