“A nodule located in my lung”: should we be worried about the operation that Pope Leo XIV will undergo?

“During recent medical examinations, doctors discovered a nodule located in my lung,” Pope Leo XIV said on Sunday. It was detected at a very early stage and is well localized. Doctors believe surgery is indicated. Following their advice, I decided to have an operation to have it removed. »

At 71, the Holy Father will undergo this operation “in the coming days” and should be hospitalized “about a week,” said a Vatican spokesperson.

What is a pulmonary nodule, and should you always worry about it? How does the operation take place? Le Figaro takes stock with Professor Nicolas Roche, head of the pulmonology department at Cochin hospital, in Paris, and Professor Marie-Pierre Revel, head of the radiology department in the same establishment, vice-president of the European Society of Radiology and co-coordinator of the Impulsion* project for early detection of lung cancer.