What you should know about the lung cancer that affected Pope Leo XIV

Pope Leo The Vatican announced that surgeons removed the cancerous tumor, along with the lower lobe of the right lung.

Lung adenocarcinoma represents about 40% of lung cancer cases. It is a type of non-small cell lung cancer that usually grows and spreads to other parts of the body at a slower rate compared to small cell lung cancer.

Surgery is usually the first step in treating this type of cancer. The right lung, which is larger, consists of three lobes, while the left lung consists of two lobes.

Doctors often remove the lobe in which the tumor is located to get rid of it and increase the chances of recovery. Over time, the body adapts to compensate for the loss of lung function.

The causes of this type of lung cancer are not always clear. Although smoking may increase your risk, other risk factors include: Lung adenocarcinoma is often diagnosed in people who have never smoked.

It is also more common among women, younger people, and people of East Asian descent. Lung adenocarcinoma is also one of the leading causes of cancer-related death, especially since doctors often discover it at an advanced stage.

But the Pope told a crowd on Sunday that doctors had discovered growths in his lungs at a “very early stage.” Dr. Juanita Mora, national medical spokeswoman for the American Lung Association, said that currently available indications suggest that the Pope's chances of recovery are good, adding that "Pope Leo's fact that he had adenocarcinoma in situ was discovered at an early stage is in his favor, especially after the tumor has been surgically removed."

She explained that the Pope's recovery may take "a little longer", because the lungs will need to adapt to the removal of one of the lobes. “He may find it a little more difficult to breathe at first until the left lung begins to compensate for the removed lobe,” Mora said, adding that the reduced lung capacity may not greatly affect his ability to breathe.

Mora pointed out that the Pope's non-smoking, his generally good health despite his 71-year-old age, and his practice of tennis and lung exercises are all factors in his favor. She indicated that he will need to practice respiratory therapy exercises and avoid respiratory infections as much as possible, because they may affect him to a greater extent after part of his lung is removed.

She pointed out that his predecessor, Pope Francis, also underwent a lobectomy of his right lung, after suffering a severe infection with tuberculosis in his youth. Mora said: "It is clear that many people live normal lives and are able to carry out their activities and enjoy their full functional capabilities, even after removing one of the lobes of the lung."

After a patient undergoes this type of surgery, they usually stay in the hospital for a few days, until their vital signs and blood oxygen levels stabilize, and then they continue to recover at home. Some pain is also expected after a lobectomy.

As for the possibility of Pope Leo making his scheduled trip to Latin America next month, Mora pointed out that it depends on the results of the medical tests that will be conducted in the coming days, as doctors will examine samples from the lymph nodes surrounding the lung, in addition to lung tissue, to determine the stage of adenocarcinoma. The discovery of cancer cells in the lymph nodes, or any evidence that the cancer has spread, helps determine whether the pope needs additional treatments after surgery, such as chemotherapy or radiation.

Doctors will also perform genetic screenings and biomarker tests to determine how to direct immunotherapy to target the cancer, if needed. Mora added that biomarker tests have greatly improved lung cancer treatment, but she noted that only 15 US states require health insurance companies to cover the costs of these tests, even when a person has lung cancer.

Mora concluded that in the case of Pope Leo, "we hope that the cancer is localized and isolated, such that surgery is sufficient to cure it permanently, as survival rates currently range between 80% and 98% when the tumor is surgically removed. But now we have to wait for the results of these tests."