Pope Leo XIV had the lower part of his right lung removed after doctors diagnosed him with the most common form of lung cancer. Although lung cancer is a leading cause of death, survival rates can be high if detected early, as Pope’s tumor appears to be. Here are a few things to know.
What is lung adenocarcinoma?
The Vatican announced the pope’s diagnosis as lung adenocarcinoma, which is one of several forms of lung cancer.
WATCH: What We Know About Pope Leo’s Lung Cancer and His Prognosis
There are two main groups: small cell lung cancers and non-small cell cancers. Non-small cell types account for the vast majority of cases worldwide and adenocarcinoma is its most common subtype. Even there are varieties that can grow faster or slower.
“Although it is still very dangerous, its cure rate is slightly higher than that of other types of lung cancer,” said Dr. John Heymach of MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer. But as many as 1 in 5 lung cancers occur in people who have never smoked and it’s not clear why, perhaps in some cases simply by chance, Heymach said.
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Other risks include exposure to radon, asbestos, radiation, second-hand smoke and air pollution, according to the American Cancer Society.
How is lung cancer detected?
Symptoms of lung cancer usually don’t appear until the cancer is advanced, according to the Cancer Society. They may include persistent cough, chest pain, hoarse voice, shortness of breath, and recurrent pneumonia or bronchitis – important symptoms to check for.
Sometimes lung cancer can be detected early when a person has an X-ray or other test showing a spot in a lung that needs further investigation. This is called an incidental finding, leading doctors to investigate well before symptoms appear and perhaps early enough so that the cancer stays small and does not spread. In Pope’s case, a nodule in his lung was spotted during another exam.
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In the United States, annual screening with a low-dose CT scan, a type of X-ray, is recommended for some people at high risk from excessive smoking.
How is it treated?
Surgery is a mainstay when lung cancer is detected at an early stage and is increasingly used, even at more advanced stages. The pope had the lower part, or lobe, of his right lung removed to try to ensure all of the cancer was removed.
The right lung has three sections or lobes while the left has two. Each lobe has its own airway branch and dedicated blood vessels and when one is removed, “the other lobes do some of the work,” said Dr. Ben Zhang, a thoracic surgeon at Allina Health in Minneapolis.
The lungs gradually compensate over several months until most people, especially those who were already physically active, notice little or no difference with exertion, he said.
The Pope is known for participating in weekly tennis and swimming matches.
In the United States, the average length of hospital stay after lung cancer surgery is two nights, Zhang said. It depends in part on how quickly the patient can get up and walk, as well as the pain and how long a tube capable of removing air and fluid from the chest is needed.
The pope walked the next day, which Heymach called “typically a harbinger of a faster recovery.”
The need for further treatment depends on the stage of the tumor, based on factors such as its size and whether it shows signs of spreading via lymph nodes, and whether markers on its cells suggest it may be aggressive. Additional treatment may be chemotherapy, used before surgery to shrink a tumor or afterward to attack any lingering cells. Other options include radiation therapy, immunotherapy, or so-called targeted drugs aimed at specific molecular drivers of a tumor.
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