r/Catholicism • u/Skullbone211 Priest • 13h ago
Vatican says the pope has lung cancer and the lower lobe of his right lung was removed
https://apnews.com/article/vatican-pope-surgery-86268530ef22fd14d2712067e89946f1223
u/KaffeDreamer 13h ago
That's unfortunate. From what I read the prognosis is good though?
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u/Skullbone211 Priest 13h ago
I haven't seen anything too concrete, but I think they caught it early, which should hopefully be a good sign
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u/Patamon4 12h ago
Surgery is typically not done unless the prognosis makes it worth the risk. Lungs are extremely vascular and surgery presents massive risk, so typically it is reserved for cases with a high chance of success.
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u/Saint_Thomas_More 12h ago
Hopefully the fact that he is (relatively) young and in otherwise good health means that recovery and any other treatments necessary will be tolerated well.
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u/This_Caterpillar_330 8h ago edited 8h ago
Why didn't he ask God, Jesus, or a saint to heal him? Or if he did, why did they or He not, as far as I'm aware, heal him? Or if others have prayed for him, why has it not, as far as I'm aware, helped him? I'm genuinely asking. I'm somewhat new to this. Are popes treated differently?
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u/StaffRoutine6299 13h ago
I did some quick googling. Stage one in the lung 73 percent 5 year survival rate. So his rate really depends on if it spread or not. I'm not sure if they fully know that yet.
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u/lizzy123446 12h ago
They said in the original tweet localized meaning they hopefully didnāt see spread to the lymph nodes.
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u/firePA498 11h ago
Itās Down to pathology and if itās spread anywhere else prior to the VATS. VATS may be curative but we wait and see.
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u/Own_Action_7839 10h ago
My friend had a similar diagnosis and procedure. He says it looks like a very good prognosis
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u/MountainFee8756 12h ago
A few things to keep in mind:
Five year survival rates lag by well, five years at minimum. That means current survival rates for a newly diagnosed person are going to typically be better thanks to medical advancements.
The Pope has access to some of the best medical care in the world. This can substantially increase survivability as he won't have to worry about delay in care due to insurance issues, wait times, or other problems most people face.
Survival rates are dragged down by people who have poor treatment compliance separate from systematic delays like insurance issues. I'm actually dealing with this right now with a friend. Given how the Holy Father seems to be taking this seriously and listening to his doctors, this further increases his odds over baseline.
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u/LassieMcToodles 12h ago
My grandma was diagnosed with it back in the early 70s around the age of 73 and lived another 10 years and passed from something else. I'm not even sure they did chemo back then, much less all of the other types of treatments they have now.
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u/Takeslotsforgranted 13h ago
Lord have mercy.
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u/Azrael_The_Bold 12h ago
Christ have mercy
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u/panameraturbo 12h ago
Lord have mercy
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u/PULSARSSS 12h ago
I had a strange feeling when they announced he was going in for surgery but I really wasnāt expecting this.
Guess we have to wait for more details.
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u/Pax_et_Bonum 12h ago
It's possible that they did remove the nodule, and during surgery looked at it under a microscope and found it was cancerous, so they went ahead and removed more of his lung to be sure. Or when they opened up his lung they found other nodules nearby. Or they just want to be sure they got any possibly cancerous tissue in the local area. But I'm not a doctor, so what do I know?
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u/Silence_Farmer 12h ago
The news here in Chicago reported that the pathologist looked at the nodule and saw it was something starting with an A which is a common form of non/small cell cancer so he had the surgeon take the whole lobe.
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u/notquitedeadyetman 11h ago
Makes sense. And at his age, with generally healthy lungs (no compliance issues or emphysema) he really doesn't need the whole lung anyway. His lifestyle likely never requires him to utilize them to their full capacity, and any missed performance from losing a love is more than made up for by ensuring he doesn't die of cancer in the short term.
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u/KalegNar 13h ago
I've liked Pope Leo and want him to be around for a while. Will pray for his health.
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u/Tight-Principle-743 13h ago
No! Hopefully from what it seems itās early. Prayers for Pope Leoās health and protection.
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u/AbelHydroidMcFarland 12h ago
This is scary and hits a bit close to home. My mom was ultimately killed by uterine cancer which spread to her lungs and the nodules which grew there. She had previously gotten the cancer surgically removed, but evidently theyād missed a spot so it came back.
I hope and pray they got it all in this case. Itās a painful way to die.
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u/abby-rose 12h ago
I lost my mother to cancer as well and my father had it. He didn't die from cancer but the chemo weakened him tremendously. I pray for Pope Leo's full recovery from this awful disease.
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u/akabryanyt 12h ago
From what I could gain (I am not a medical professional) from the news, I think we have the best outlook possible for the diagnosis. Since the surgeon fully remove the tumor cleanlyX and there was no signs of cancer in thr nearby lymph nodes, he is probably cured of the disease. The prognosis for this specific stage and cancer is 80% of being completely cancer free five years from now for someone at his age. All that is left is he gets checkups and regains his breathing strength, and we pray!
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u/Bonthge 10h ago
Unfortunately it is not that simple. I wish it was. My grandmother completely recovered from lung cancer, but losing part of your lung leaves with you permanently reduced lung capacity, which has widespread effects. My grandmother passed from complications from lack of breathing capacity after having surgery to remove the cancer many years before. Living without 2 fully functional lungs is a hard life, and many people don't realize that. So please continue praying for him - he has a longer road ahead than many realize because it's not simply about recovering from cancer, but learning to live a new life with reduced lung capacity.
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u/BurrShotFirst1804 9h ago
While this is true, Pope Francis also lived most of his life with only 1 lung.
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u/Bonthge 7h ago
At 21, he lost part (but not all) of one lung, and unfortunately that is ultimately what led to his death. As you said, he lived into his 80s, which is amazing; at the same time, many of his later years were marked by very poor health (specifically around issues with breathing). Pope Francis was also a younger man when he lost part of his lung, and Pope Leo is in his 70s. Again, I'm not saying he cannot fully recover from cancer and go to continue an active life, just that some people don't understand the toll it takes on the body to lose part of a lung and the reality of what life looks like after that.
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u/akabryanyt 9h ago
I am sorry about my lack of understanding , and please spare me for any ignorance I may have. I am sorry about your grandmother as well.
It is a difficult life without 2 fully functional lungsā¦ I currently have a uncle suffering with that.
I do not want it to seem like this is the only outcome, and that it is all that is to worry about. I guess all I wanted to shed light on is that he has had what is seemingly the best outcome in his given scenario. Unfortunately, like you said, things can change and complications can occur later in his life, which is more probably for someone his age.
Again, sorry for my ignorance and lack of consideration š
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u/benkenobi5 12h ago
If I had a nickel for every time we had a pope with part of a lung removed, Iād have two nickels. Which isnāt a lot but itās weird that it happened twice.
Levity aside, God bless pope Leo and grant his recovery goes well.
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u/Saint_Thomas_More 12h ago
Weirder still that it's consecutive popes.
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u/AnotherBoringDad 12h ago
Godās going to keep taking lungs from Popes until they mend the Great Schism.
He really liked JPIIās āthe Church needs to breathe with both lungsā analogy.
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u/Saint_Thomas_More 12h ago
Apparently the Wet Blanket Brigade is out downvoting people for having more than a dire outlook on the world.
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u/ImperialxWarlord 12h ago
God please have mercy on the pope, I pray that it was caught early and that he can make a recovery!
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u/WalkingByTheFigTree 12h ago
Praying that theyāve caught it and he recovers. We need this guy, please donāt take him just yet!Ā
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u/mskaggs87 11h ago
I don't understand cancer diagnoses as well as I should -- if the cancer has not spread beyond that lobe, would Pope Leo still be said to "have cancer"?
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u/SamuelFootBowden845 11h ago
It will depend on the stage of the cancer. I don't know what the stage of the Pope's cancer is. That said, if it was Stage I, let's say, it was localized, while if it was Stage IV, it would be metastatic to other parts of the body. Again, I have no idea what the stage is; those are just the best and worst cases.
I would imagine that he will be undergoing further examination soon to check for metastases, and even if they don't find any (hopefully), I would guess that he will still receive chemotherapy as a precaution.
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u/BurrShotFirst1804 9h ago
If it was Stage IV, they wouldn't have resected the tumor. There are some rare exceptions, but then they also described it as localized, and they would have for sure done a full CT scan before the surgery to make sure it wasn't metastatic, so I can't imagine it's Stage IV.
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u/Beneatheearth 11h ago
Its an interesting question. I have/had kidney cancer. They removed a 3cm mass 2.5 years ago. Partial nephrectomy. No signs of spread, repeat scans clear so far, kidney function great. Do I have cancer?
I donāt believe they ever say that you are cured. They say there is no evidence of disease(ned). There could always be some cells floating around that pop up somewhere as mets. If they thought that was an actual concern though theyād start immunotherapy I imagine. Cancer treatments have come real far over the past few years and data isnāt even caught up so really itās even better than it looks.
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u/redswamp0001 10h ago
Once you have cancer, you have it for the rest of your life. The idea is that you are considered "cured" so long as it is in remission.
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u/RCPlaneLover 9h ago
Former ultra Orthodox Jew here. Have no clue why I saw a TikTok about this but Iām gonna pray for the Pope. I love this man
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u/CUBuffs1992 12h ago
If they only did a lobectomy thereās a good chance it was contained to that one area.
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u/ohjeezitsrandy 9h ago
I am not a Catholic, nor am I religious, but I am a historian and the Catholic church has always been very interesting to me. That being said, I really respect the pope. I hope for nothing but his good health.
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u/jvplascencialeal 12h ago
I am scared Padre, not gonna lie.
Lord Jesus Christ, Physician of bodies and souls, look with mercy upon Your servant, Pope Leo XIV. Grant him strength, relief in his suffering, and a full recovery. Enlighten his physicians and accompany him during his convalescence.
Most Holy Virgin of Fatima, Mother of the Church, cover him with your maternal mantle. Saint Joseph, protector of the Holy Church, pray for him. Amen.
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u/TwinCitian 12h ago
I didn't like hearing that he was having surgery, and now this ššš I'm going through a really rough patch, and now this is a punch in the gut. Lord, please protect your servant Pope Leo!!Ā
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u/DownWithTheSyndrme 9h ago
God bless the Holy Father and also God bless all persons suffering from cancer.
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u/Spotmonster25 9h ago
I'm not Catholic but I pray for Pope Leo every day. This breaks my heart and I hope he pulls through.Ā
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u/steele0ttos 11h ago
It being caught early is good, yes? I hope that means they can take it out as soon as possible before it spreads.
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u/BurrShotFirst1804 10h ago
Considering they didn't do any neoadjuvant therapy (unless they lied about when they found out and he was really good at hiding pembro in France) and they described it as localized, I would assume unless there's some surprise results from pathology, it's gonna be Stage 1A or I guess Stage 1B. Upstaging from the pathological staging certainly can happen. Impossible to say if he will undergo adjuvant treatment or not, as we don't have enough info, don't know if all he needs is the resection. PD-L1 and mutation testing for EGFR and other genes would also need to be done to determine next steps if adjuvant therapy is in fact needed.
Just glad it isn't small cell.
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u/BlessJAlb 4h ago
Interesting that we had two popes in a row who both had parts of their lungs removed.
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u/no-one-89656 11h ago
Naked I came from my motherās womb, and naked shall I return; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.
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u/Sensitive_Fix8407 11h ago
The Pope just got a lobe of his lung removed and was diagnosed with localized adenocarcinoma, which is a cancer of the glandular tissue in the lung. Seems like it has not spread and is a low stage if I read the press report from the hospital right. According to his surgeon he should have an āexcellent prognosisā.
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u/CityOutlier 7h ago
I hope and pray he's ok. Gotta say it's refreshing that they're rather candid about this instead of downplaying things and keeping things hidden.
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u/Artistic-Morning6988 9h ago
I am praying for his recovery of course, but look how much Pope Francis got done with one and a half lungs. It sounds like they caught it early. Lord, hear our prayers.
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u/StaffRoutine6299 8h ago
And remember Pope Francis had his whole life to get used to one and a half lungs. I really feel bad for pope Leo.
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u/Artistic-Morning6988 4h ago
I do too. He probably is only now getting used to even being the pope, and now this! He seems like such a wise and gentle person.
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u/Sensitive_Spinach946 9h ago
It is really hard to have hope that he will be ok when the Vatican is clearly never being totally honest about the Popeās health.
All of these relatively timely updates are a bit of a departure from previous pontificateās, but theyāre never going to give us the whole picture (not that we necessarily ādeserveā it, the Pope is entitled to as much privacy as he wants).
When he originally announced it was a nodule, the surrounding facts either didnāt add up or there were clear signs pointing to something worse. Now itās confirmed to be something worse than that, but it seems likely itās actually even worse than they are now reporting.
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u/StaffRoutine6299 8h ago
That's how I always interpret health news from the Vatcian. It's not that they are lying, it's just they are coming at it from the best possible outcome. So just kind of go from what they are telling you to a more middle of the road outcome.
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u/Top_Part_8611 12h ago
AHHH NO
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u/Top_Part_8611 12h ago
Lord have Mercy!
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u/Strict_Detective4555 8h ago
I've heard that one of his brothers has cancer too, is there any truth to that? It was on a social media outlet,Ā but there's also been a lot of fake AI news about this sort of thing in the last year. If so, it must be a hard time for the family.
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u/Putrid_Mud35 10h ago
The size of the nodule was not mentioned.They biopsy in the O.R. And it was cancer.I noticed he has not looked so well,my imagination?
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u/Independent_Focus681 12h ago
Why are so many popes dying, back to back?
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u/Saint_Thomas_More 12h ago
Well, first, we don't know Pope Leo is dying. He had a surgery and a preliminary diagnosis.
Second, literally every Pope dies.
Third, they often die relatively close in time because they're usually older when they are elected.
But getting back to point one, we don't know he's dying. No need for doom and gloom.
Just pray for the Pope, his recovery from surgery, and continued healing.
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u/Skullbone211 Priest 13h ago
Please keep the Holy Father in your prayers. Hopefully it is treatable, and he will recover quickly and fully