Pope Leo will not need further cancer treatment, doctors say
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Pope Leo greeting members of the faithful in St Peter’s Square on Oct 21, as he arrives to hold his first weekly general audience since cancer surgery.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Pope Leo will not need more cancer treatment after lung surgery, doctors said. Tests showed the tumour was localised and had not spread.
- The 71-year-old pope had the lower lobe of his right lung removed on Oct 13 and was discharged on Oct 17. He is now slowly returning to normal duties.
- It is still unclear if he will travel to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from Nov 6-17. Vatican officials say his schedule may need to be adjusted for recovery.
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VATICAN CITY - Pope Leo will not need any further therapy after undergoing lung cancer surgery last week, his doctors said on Oct 21, indicating that his tumour had not spread.
The announcement came as it was still unclear whether the US-born pope would proceed with a planned trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, scheduled for Nov 6-17.
The 71-year-old pontiff had the lower lobe of his right lung removed in surgery on Oct 13 and was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer.
Final histological examinations and molecular biology analyses of the tissue removed confirmed the diagnosis, with the disease remaining localised, the doctors said in a statement released by the Vatican.
“A subsequent oncological evaluation has confirmed that no further therapy is required,” the pope’s lead surgeon, Stefano Margaritora, and his personal physician, Luigi Carbone, said.
Leo was discharged from hospital on Oct 17 and is gradually resuming his normal duties.
On Oct 21, he returned to St Peter’s Square for his weekly audience with pilgrims.
Margaritora said last week there were “no clinical reasons” preventing the pope from travelling to South America, but the Vatican’s secretary of state has indicated the pontiff may need to adjust the pace of his schedule to aid his recovery. REUTERS