Tests confirmed a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, a common form of lung cancer, the Vatican said in a medical bulletin. The diagnosis had been suspected due to preoperative tests and was confirmed during surgery.
The 71-year-old pontiff spent around 3 hours inside the operating room and the surgery itself took approximately 90 minutes.
“In order to make the procedure curative, the lower lobe of the right lung was removed using a video-assisted technique,” Leo’s lead surgeon, Professor Stefano Margaritora, wrote in an update after the surgery.