Pope Leo passes 'calm' night after surgery to remove lung cancer tumour.
The pope recently had surgery to remove a cancerous tumour from his right lung. He is currently awaiting the results of tests to determine if the cancer has spread, RTE has reported.
The active 71-year-old, who was elected just last year, unexpectedly announced his upcoming surgery following Sunday prayers.
He underwent the 90-minute procedure yesterday, with the Vatican later confirming he woke up normally without complications.
The Vatican said that the pope passed a calm night and that the "surgery was successful and there were no complications." They did not provide any other details, according to RTE.
The lump was initially discovered during what the Vatican called "routine checks."
The BBC reported that earlier, crowds waited hours outside the hospital to catch a glimpse of the Pope. He smiled and waved from the lowered back window of his car as the cheering crowd offered greetings and support.
Upon arrival, he was greeted on the hospital steps by staff members. When one worker offered sympathy with an "I'm sorry," the Pope responded with a lighthearted smile and a shrug, before being reassured, "We're here for you."
The pope announced the news of his operation on Sunday, he said the nodule, or growth on his lungs was "contained" and had been found "at a very early stage", however doctors urged him to have it removed.
According to the BBC, nodules are quite common and not typically cancerous. After it was inspected, the medical team determined that it was pulmonary adenocarcinoma, "as suspected by pre-operative tests."
Juanita Mora, a medical spokesperson for the American Lung Association, told AFP that: "When caught in early stages, then it has a very, very good prognosis, which is what we're hoping and praying for with Pope Leo."
The Vatican expects the recovery to take around a week so they have cancelled all the pope's audiences until October 20th.
