Pope out of bed, progress 'normal' after lung cancer operation
Pope Leo XIV is recovering well after undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his lung. Medical staff report that his post-operative progress is normal, though the Vatican awaits biopsy results to determine if the cancer has spread.
Why it matters
The health of the leader of the Catholic Church is a matter of significant global interest, particularly following the recent death of his predecessor.
Pope Leo XIV is out of bed, walking and eating after doctors removed a cancerous tumour from his lung, while post-surgery tests show his progress is "normal", his doctors said Wednesday. Part of the pope's right lung was removed in Tuesday's operation at Rome's Gemelli hospital and the leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics is now awaiting the results of a biopsy to determine if the cancer has spread. Blood tests and a chest X-ray meanwhile "confirm a normal post-operative course", doctors Luigi Carbone and Stefano Margaritora said in a statement released by the Vatican. "The values are within the expected range for the type of procedure performed," they said. The discovery on Tuesday that a nodule detected in Leo's lung was cancerous has plunged the Catholic Church into a period of uncertainty. "It's a shock for everyone. We're in 'wait-and-see' mode," a Vatican source told AFP.
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