The ‘health variable’ has now come into play during Leo’s pontificate
It will take two weeks for the detailed histological examination to be carried out; after that, it will be clear what course of treatment the Pope will need to follow
Key points
Less than a year and a half after his election to the papal throne, the ‘health factor’ burst onto the scene during the papacy of Leo XIV – a recurring theme (and a decisive one, albeit in ever-changing ways) throughout the last three papacies. The story is well known: an initial statement issued at around 8 pm on 13 October said that the operation had been successful and the Pope had been taken back to his room. All well and good. Then, two hours later, the Vatican bulletin revealed a detail that had until then remained in the background but had never been made explicit: the lump was an adenocarcinoma, a malignant tumour.
The nature of the tumour removed from the Pope changes the picture
The overall picture – every aspect of which must be carefully assessed, so it is still too early to draw conclusions (this is not the author’s assessment but that of expert doctors consulted directly and based on interviews in numerous media outlets) – is, objectively speaking, changing.
Even before the operation, it was clear what that lump was
The operation, as mentioned, was a success. In reality, the procedure that Prevost underwent, whilst certainly delicate, is not regarded by experienced surgeons as particularly ‘difficult’, as it would be if other organs were involved. We can therefore say that its success was never in doubt, given the high calibre of the team (which, as we later learnt – though it was clear from the outset – already had a clear understanding of the situation, having carried out a CT scan, which is by no means a routine examination, as some had tried to suggest). The key issue was the nature of the nodule, which was immediately investigated – a necessary step in deciding whether to remove the lung lobe.
Two weeks for the in-depth histological examination
The next step is a more in-depth and detailed histological examination, which will take two weeks, to check whether any lymph nodes are affected by the tumour and to assess other factors. Based on these results, the doctors will decide whether to proceed with treatment – ranging from chemotherapy to immunotherapy (or even molecular therapy) – and to what extent.
