Health · Medical Research · 8 hrs ago
Pope Leo XIV to have small lung nodule removed in preventive surgery
Pope Leo XIV, who is 71, said doctors found a small lung nodule during recent checkups.
He said it is confined to one area and at an early stage, and that he agreed to doctors’ advice to remove it as a precaution.
The nodule measures three millimeters, according to sources at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.
A lung nodule is a small spot that can have benign or malignant causes, so its presence alone does not mean someone has cancer.
Doctors assess features such as its shape, density and changes over time, but the diagnosis cannot be confirmed from an image alone.
The Vatican has not shared the planned surgical technique or the nodule’s precise location.
Leo is expected to be hospitalized for about seven days, and the Vatican has not announced changes to his planned November visit to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.
Pope Leo XIV said he will undergo preventive surgery to remove a small lung nodule on Tuesday.
Doctors detected the nodule during recent check-ups, and the pope said it was localized and at an early stage.
The Vatican confirmed the procedure is scheduled, with a hospital stay expected to last about seven days.
Sources at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital said the lesion measures three millimeters.
The Vatican did not announce changes to the pope’s planned tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from November 6 to 17, 2026.
- Who
- Pope Leo XIV is having the procedure.
- What
- He will undergo surgery to remove a small lung nodule as a preventive measure.
- When
- Tuesday; the article does not give a calendar date for the procedure.
- Where
- The procedure is expected to take place at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.
- Why
- Doctors detected the nodule during recent check-ups and advised removing it.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
They will operate on a small nodule in my lung this Tuesday
Not stated
Never can one assure the diagnosis with only the image
Doctors detected a localized lung nodule at an early stage.
Leo XIV announced after the Angelus prayer that he would have the nodule removed on Tuesday.
The scheduled preventive surgery is to remove the nodule.
The hospital stay is expected to last about seven days.
- Nodule size
- 3 millimeters
- Expected hospital stay
- About 7 days
- Planned tour
- Uruguay, Argentina and Peru
- Tour dates
- November 6–17, 2026
- Hospital
- Gemelli Hospital, Rome
Sources
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