BREAKING: Pope Leo XIV to UNDERGO SURGERY after health diagnosis

>> THIS JUST IN OUT OF VATICAN. CITY THIS MORNING. POPE LEO XIV UNDERGOING SURGERY. IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS REMOVING A. SMALL LUMP IN HIS LUNG IN ITS. EARLY STAGES AND THE POPE. MENTIONING THE NEXT MONTH'S. TRIP TO PERU. CLEARLY HE PLANS TO CONTINUE. WITH HIS TRAVEL PLANS PHYSICIAN.

JESSICA GRAY JOINS US NOW. AND SOUNDS LIKE WHATEVER IT IS. WAS CAUGHT EARLY. GIVE US A RANGE WHAT YOU CAN. MAKE OF THE INFORMATION THAT WE. HAVE AVAILABLE? >> GOOD MORNING, YES, WE HAVE. VERY LITTLE INFORMATION SO FAR. ABOUT POPE LEO AND OUR THOUGHTS. AND PRAYERS GO OUT TO HIM. 'S SO WONDERFUL IN UNITING AND. I HOPE NOTHING, BUT THE BEST. FOR HIM PERSONALLY, BUT I THINK. THAT THIS IS VERY EARLY ON AND. THIS MAY JUST BE VERY ISOLATED. TO JUST A SMALL NODULE. IT'S NOT UNCOMMON EVEN FOR. PEOPLE WHO HAVE NEVER HAD A.

HISTORY OF SMOKING TO. NECESSARILY HAVE A NODULE THEY. DETERMINE NEEDS TO BE BIOPSIED. AND REMOVED. IT COULD BE A WIDE RANGE OF. THINGS. IF IT'S PRE-MALIGNANT OR. MALIGNANT THAT COULD TURN INTO. CANCER. IT DOES NEED TO BE REMOVED AND. THEY CAN DO THAT IN A FAIRLY, I. WOULDN'T SAY EASY, BUT A FAIRLY. QUICK SURGERY THAT CAN BE DONE. AND THEN GET HIM BACK AND. GOING. CHARLIE: IT'S IN HIS LUNG SO. OBVIOUSLY YOU HAVE TO CUT INTO. THE LUNG WHICH IS ALWAYS MORE. SIGNIFICANT THAN SOMETETHING SA.

JUST ON THE SURFACE. HOW LONG DOES SOMETHING LIKE. THIS TAKE TO DETERMINE WHETHER. IT IS MORE OR LESS SERIOUS? >> GOOD QUESTION AND I HAVE A. LOT OF PATIENTS THAT WE MAY. START OUT OR FIND SOMETHING. LIKE THIS INCIDENTALLY. SO, SOMETIMES WE FIND LUNG. NODULES LIKE THIS ON AN IMAGING. THAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE FOR. SOMETHING, EVEN NOT IN THE. CHEST. SOMETIMES WE FIND IT, WE DO AN. X-RAY OR A CT SCAN OF THE BELLY. AND ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU GET A. POSSIBLE PICTURE OF THE CHEST. AND WE NEED TO INVESTIGATE. FURTHER.

IT'S A STEP-WISE PROCESS. YOU SEE IT MAYBE ON IMAGING AND. THEN THE NEXT STEP WHERE YOU. SEE MAYBE A PULMONOLOGIST AND. THEN THEY USE A SCOPE AND LOOK. INTO IT AND A BIOPSY. CLEARLY HE'S A FEW STEPS INTO. THAT PROCESS, SO, AT THIS POINT. IF THEY DETERMINE THAT IT NEEDS. TO BE REMOVED THEY'RE WORKING. WITH MAYBE A CARDIO THORACIC. SURGEON WHO DOES THE REMOVALS, THE RISK OF THIS TURNING INTO. SOMETHING MORE SERIOUS AND. COULD SPREAD, IT'S HIGH ENOUGH.

THAT WE WANT TO PUT YOU. THROUGHOUT AN ACTUAL PROCEDURE. PROBABLY NOT SOMETHING. DISCOVEREDED LAST WEEK, BUT, HES. BEEN TALKING TO HIS MEDICAL. TEAM FOR A WHILE AND MADE THE. DECISIONS WHICH IS GREAT ON HIS. TIMELINE AND GO BACK TO HIS. NORMAL LIFE. CHARLIE: DOES THAT SUGGEST. MAYBE THEY KNOW MORE ABOUT HOW. SEVERE IT COULD BE THAN. REASONABLY THAN THEY'RE LETTING. ON? >>>> WELL, YES. YES AND NO. I THINK THAT THEY'RE LETTING ON. ABOUT IT, YOU KNOW, A SMALL. AMOUNT OF INFORMATION AND THAT. MAY BE ALL THAT WE HAVE.

SOMETIMES WHEN I HAVE PATIENTS, WE DON'T HAVE A WHOLE LOT MORE. INFORMATION THAN THAT. IT COULD BE JUST AS SIMPLE. THERE'S A SMALL NODULE, MAY BE. PRE-MALIGNANT OR MALIGNANT. CONCERNING ENOUGH THAT IT COULD. SPREAD LATER, IT HASN'T SPREAD. ANYWHERE ELSE, I WOULDN'T BE. TOO WORRIED THAT IT'S SPREAD. ALL OVER THE BODY AND THEY. HAVEN'T TOLD THE DETAILS. IT MAY BE AS SIMPLE IT'S SMALL. AND THEY NEED TO REMOVE IT TO. GET HIM BACK TO WORK. CHARLIE: QUICKLY BECAUSE WE. HAVE TO GO. WHAT'S THE LENGTH OF TIME IT.

TAKES TO RECOVER JUST FROM THE. EXPLORATORY SURGERY TO REMOVE. IT? >> YEAH, SO MOST OF MY PATIENTS. HAVE DONE REALLY WELL WITH THIS. AND GOTTEN BACK ON THEIR FEET. QUICKLY BACK TO NORMAL. ACTIVITIES WITHIN A WEEK OR SO. SO, IT USUALLY DOESN'T LIMIT. THEM TOO MUCH, WHICH IS GREA.