Pope Leo XIV left Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Saturday afternoon and returned to the Vatican after doctors said he was well enough to be discharged following surgery that removed part of his right lung.The Vatican press office released a statement outlining details from Dr.Luigi Carbone,the Pope's personal physician, and Professor Stefano Margaritora, Gemelli's chief of thoracic surgery who led the team that operated on Leo.
The two doctors said the pope had undergone blood tests and a chest X-ray that morning, with the results confirming his clinical condition meant he could leave hospital.They said he was expected to lead the Angelus prayer from the window of the papal apartment on Sunday.Video showed Leo waving to well-wishers outside the hospital as he walked out without physical support, flanked by officials and security guards in dark suits.Before leaving, the pope had celebrated Mass in a room set aside for that purpose on the hospital's 10th floor, according to the press office.Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni said "the estimated post-operative recovery time will be about one week." Leo's discharge came on his fifth day in hospital and was sooner than had been expected at the time of the operation's announcement.Leo, 71, had told crowds in St.
Peter's Square last Sunday that doctors had discovered a "localized nodule" in his lung at a "very early stage.""Following their advice, I have therefore decided to undergo an operation to remove it," he said.The surgery on Tuesday went further than the nodule, however, with surgeons using a video-assisted technique to remove the lower lobe of the pope's right lung in an operation that lasted about 90 minutes.His doctors said lung tissue examined afterward confirmed a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma.
With adenocarcinoma making up about 40% of all lung cancers in the U.S., it is the nation's most common form of lung cancer, according to the Lung Cancer Foundation of America.That is true among nonsmokers too, accordi...