Pope Leo’s lung cancer prognosis could depend on these factors, doctors say

Pope Leo XIV was recovering Wednesday, a day after having a lobe of his right lung removed and confirming a diagnosis of lung cancer. 

Leo had blood tests and a chest X-ray that showed a “normal post-operative course,” the Holy See Press Office said. “The values are within the expected range for the type of procedure performed.”

The surgery removed what the pope and Vatican described as a localized nodular lesion.

“Those types of lesions can actually be removed and even cured just by surgery alone,” CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook said. 

But the Vatican has not shared the stage of cancer, or whether it has spread, which would help determine if Leo needs further treatment. 

Here’s what multiple doctors, who are not involved in the pope’s treatment, told CBS News about his possible prognosis. 

What type of cancer does Leo have?

Leo was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, a common type of non-small cell lung cancer, doctors say. 

“It’s very common and also generally a very good prognosis when found early on,” Dr. Kalvin Lung, a thoracic surgeon at the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute, told CBS News 24/7 on Tuesday. 

The surgery Leo underwent “is also something we commonly do, and it’s a very successful surgery and people can recover very quickly from it,” Lung said. 

What stage is the cancer?

The Vatican has not said what stage the cancer is. “They may not know yet,” LaPook said Wednesday morning. 

But the information that has been provided suggests the cancer may have been caught early. 

“The fact that he can have a successful surgery so quickly is all a very good prognosticators of probably an early-stage lung cancer,” Lung said. 

If there had been evidence that the cancer had spread elsewhere in the body, Leo may have had treatment before the surgery like chemotherapy or immunological therapy, LaPook said. 

“But the fact they went right in and tried to take it all out might say to you, well, they think maybe that’s it,” he said. 

If that is the case, Leo likely would not need further treatment, Lung and LaPook said. 

Is there lymph node involvement?

If the cancer spread to the lymph nodes, which filter fluid in the body, that would change the prognosis and possible treatment plan, doctors said.

“Sometimes it looks like on all the tests beforehand that it’s just localized, and it turns out the lymph nodes are involved,” LaPook said. 

Further testing would determine the treatment, he said. 

“There are all these special tests you do. Look at the genetic makeup of it. Are there any special markers? Are there any special things on it that are driving it to multiply?” LaPook said.

What is the recovery?

Doctors have said the recovery from the surgery is typically a few weeks. Leo is expected to stay at the hospital for a week, according to the Vatican.

The pope’s recovery was “proceeding as expected,” the Holy See Press Office said Wednesday.

“The Holy Father has carried out respiratory physiotherapy and has begun walking around his room,” they said. “He has resumed a regular diet, having both breakfast and lunch.”

Leo may have some pain from the surgery “for the first couple of days up to the first one to two weeks,” Lung said.

“I think he’ll be back to doing what he wants to do around three to four weeks,” said Dr. David Jones, chief of thoracic surgery at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. “Maybe a little slower, but he’ll be fine.”