Pope Leo XIV diagnosed with lung cancer after surgery

• Tissue examined during surgery confirmed lung adenocarcinoma.
• The Vatican said the operation was successful and there were no complications.
• The Pope is expected to remain in hospital for about a week.

Pope Leo XIV has lung cancer, the Vatican said on Tuesday, after surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital. An examination of tissue during the operation confirmed lung adenocarcinoma, which preoperative tests had led doctors to suspect.¹

The operation lasted about 90 minutes, and the Pope was in the operating room for roughly three hours. Doctors said it was successful, with no complications; Leo woke normally and returned to his hospital room after a short period of observation.¹²

The diagnosis came two days after Leo said doctors had found a small, localised lung nodule. He described it as detected “at a very early stage”, but the reports available do not establish the cancer’s stage or extent.³

The Vatican has not announced a further treatment plan. The Associated Press reported that doctors were awaiting additional test results before discussing chemotherapy or other therapies.²

Leo is expected to remain in hospital for about a week. The Vatican said it expected to provide a further update on Wednesday, 14 October, including any test results then available.¹

Footnotes

1. Vatican News, “Pope Leo XIV undergoes successful lung surgery” ↩ ↩² ↩³

2. Associated Press, “Doctors remove lobe of pope’s lung in surgery that confirms he has cancer” ↩ ↩²

3. Vatican News, “Pope Leo: I will undergo surgery soon to remove nodule in my lung” ↩