Pope Leo's surgery on Tuesday afternoon to remove a small growth on one of his lungs went well and as expected, the Vatican said in a statement. Leo was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital earlier on Tuesday for the removal of the small nodule, which the pontiff said had been spotted early during a recent check-up. Pope Leo had a lower lobe of his right lung removed during the surgery and was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, a common form of lung cancer, the Vatican said in a medical bulletin.
Leo, who is 71-year-old, was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on Tuesday for surgery to remove a growth on his lung that doctors found in a recent health checkup. Tuesday's surgery lasted about 90 minutes and was successful with no complications, the Vatican said. The pope has woken up normally and is resting in his hospital room.
