What to know about Pope Leo’s lung surgery for an early-stage nodule - NBC News

Pope Leo XIV said Sunday he will have surgery this week to remove an early-stage nodule on his lung. The Vatican didn’t say what type of lung surgery the pontiff will undergo, but that the “small, localized nodule” was found in his lung during recent medical tests. He’s expected to be admitted to the hospital Tuesday morning. A lung nodule is a small mass of tissue detected through X-ray or CT scan screening. According to the American Lung Cancer, nodules can be caused by a number of factors, including irritants such as air pollution, diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and cancer. They can also be caused by scar tissue from a previous infection. Leo said the nodule was detected “at a very early stage.” There are several approaches to surgery, depending on the size and location of the nodule and whether doctors suspect cancer, said Dr.