Pope Leo XIV’s lung cancer was found during routine screening. Days after he announced the diagnosis in St. Peter’s Square, surgeons in Rome removed one lobe of his right lung.
Dr. Steven Goldberg, Chief Medical Officer of HealthTrack and a practicing physician, joins me to walk through what happened in the operating room and why removing the whole lobe isn’t cause for alarm. He also explains the three pathology details that will determine whether surgery alone is a cure. Along the way, he discusses why adenocarcinoma is the lung cancer most often found in people who never smoked and who should ask their doctor about low-dose CT screening.
The Pope’s prognosis looks hopeful, and the lesson for everyone else is to ask the screening question before symptoms appear.
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