Philadelphia doctors say early detection crucial as Pope Leo XIV reveals lung cancer diagnosis
A day after lung cancer surgery, Pope Leo XIV is reported to be walking around his room, eating a regular diet and having respiratory physical therapy.
The Vatican says post-operative blood tests and a chest X-ray show no immediate complications. Doctors say the prognosis for the 71-year-old pontiff is good.
CBS News Philadelphia talked to doctors in the Philadelphia area about the pope's condition.
Dr. Thomas Meyer with Main Line Health said he was in a recent audience with the pope, who's said to be healthy and active.
"I saw him personally about two weeks ago in Rome; he looked quite robust and happy," Meyer said.
Leo had the most common type of lung cancer — adenocarcinoma — that was removed with the lower lobe of his right lung in a 90-minute operation.
"We know that the rise of adenocarcinoma in non-smokers is significant, and smoking is no longer the only way that you acquire lung cancer," Dr. Patrick Ross, a thoracic surgeon at Main Line Health, said.
Ross said exposure to secondhand smoke and radon can also increase the risk of lung cancer. More testing will show if the pope's cancer has spread, which will determine whether more treatment is needed.
"If the stage is early, there's an excellent prognosis," Ross said.
Doctors say the pope's case is helping raise awareness about the leading cancer killer.
"The tricky thing with lung cancer is that most of the time patients are without symptoms," Dr. Stacey Su, chief of thoracic surgery at Fox Chase Cancer Center, said.
That's why people at risk — including former smokers and people with a family history of lung cancer — are encouraged to get early testing, Su said.
Temple Health has a Healthy Chest Initiative to find lung cancer early when it's curable, and most healthcare systems have similar programs.
In a statement, Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson Pérez said he was grateful to learn that the pope's prognosis "remains highly optimistic." He asked people in the archdiocese to continue to pray for the pope.
