Pope Leo will not need further cancer treatment, doctors say

Pope Leo will not need further treatment after undergoing lung cancer surgery last week, his doctors say, indicating that his tumour has not spread.

Pope Leo, 71, had the lower lobe of his right lung removed last week in the first major health event of his 17-month pontificate.

The surgery confirmed he had adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer.

Pope Leo was discharged from Rome's Gemelli Polyclinic on Saturday, local time, four days after surgery, and said he would gradually resume his activities.

The pope's personal physician, Luigi Carbone, and his surgeon, Stefano Margaritora, said in a statement that results of the final post-operative tests on tissue removed during the pope's surgery confirmed the cancer was localised.

"A subsequent oncology assessment confirmed that no further treatment is necessary,"

the doctors said.

The pope had the lower section, or lobe, of his right lung removed to try to ensure that all the cancer was removed.

Additional treatment is offered in such cases if follow-up testing finds signs that the cancer has spread, such as through the lymph nodes, or has certain other signs that it might be particularly aggressive.

Surgery often can be enough when tumours are caught early, such as when someone has an X-ray or other scan that shows a spot long before it is large or causing symptoms.

The pope appears to have had one of those "incidental findings," a nodule in his lung spotted during another exam.

In an interview with Vatican News on Saturday, Dr Margaritora confirmed the nodule was found by chance during routine abdominal examinations, and that the pope had not been experiencing any symptoms.

"The statements suggest that this is a stage one lung cancer for which surgery is highly effective and expected to be curative," said Dr Stephen Liu, a lung cancer expert at Georgetown's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.

He said the lack of further treatment suggested a relatively small cancer, and that it had not spread to lymph nodes.

The pope carried on business while in the hospital, including a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and has appeared strong in two public appearances at the Vatican since his surgery: the traditional Sunday blessing from a window overlooking St Peter's Square and Wednesday's longer audience in the square.

"Thank you! Thank you for the support of your prayers," Pope Leo said during the audience.

His next major engagement is an ambitious trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru next month.

Dr Margaritora told Vatican News that there was "no clinical reason" to prevent the trip, which includes a dozen flights, two helicopter rides and high-altitude stops.

The pope had revealed that a nodule would be surgically removed during the traditional Sunday blessing on October 11, in an unusually transparent disclosure broadcast on live television that broke the tradition of secrecy surrounding papal health issues.