Pope Leo XIV diagnosed with lung cancer, undergoes successful surgery in Rome

New Delhi: The pope, Leo XIV, has been diagnosed with lung cancer after surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung at Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Tuesday, the Vatican said. The 71-year-old head of the Roman Catholic Church underwent a successful operation without complications and returned to his hospital room after recovering from anaesthesia.

The diagnosis was confirmed by examining tissue during surgery, validating suspicions raised by tests conducted before the procedure. In its medical update, the Vatican identified the disease as lung adenocarcinoma, a type of non-small-cell lung cancer.

Doctors used a video-assisted technique to remove the affected lobe, with the aim of achieving a complete surgical removal of the cancerous tissue. Leo spent approximately three hours in the operating theatre, although the surgery itself took about 90 minutes, according to the bulletin issued by his personal doctor, Luigi Carbone, and the lead surgeon, Stefano Margaritora.

After a brief period of observation, he was taken back to his room on the hospital’s 10th floor. The Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, said Leo subsequently asked for dinner and spent the evening with his secretaries and other Vatican staff.

Further examinations of the removed tissue will be carried out over the coming days, making those results important to decisions about subsequent care. The Vatican has not announced a final cancer stage or a programme of additional treatment, and a successful operation alone does not establish the longer-term outcome.

Leo had disclosed the discovery himself during the Angelus prayer on October 11, telling people gathered in St Peter’s Square that doctors had identified a small, localized lung nodule at a very early stage. He said he had accepted their recommendation to have it removed, bringing the health concern into public view before his admission to hospital.

Bruni later clarified that the growth had been found during routine medical examinations. Leo continued with his scheduled audiences on October 12, but all audiences have been cancelled through October 20, with his hospital stay expected to last approximately a week.

The hospitalization has also required changes to a Vatican meeting marking the tenth anniversary of Amoris laetitia, the document on marriage and family life issued by his predecessor, Francis. Leo entrusted the October 14 Mass in St Peter’s Square to the cardinal, Luis Antonio Tagle, and asked to review the meeting’s conclusions before their publication.

The operation removes a complete section of the lung, a procedure known as a lobectomy. According to the US National Cancer Institute, surgery is a principal treatment for early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer, while the need for chemotherapy, immunotherapy or targeted medicines depends on the disease’s stage and other clinical findings.

Early detection can therefore create an opportunity for treatment intended to cure the disease, but the findings from the removed tissue remain essential to assessing the patient’s outlook. These general treatment principles provide context for Leo’s operation; they do not establish his individual prognosis or whether he will require further therapy.

The Vatican secretary of state, the cardinal, Pietro Parolin, said he had spoken with Leo before the hospitalization and found him calm, although the discovery had surprised him. Leo arrived at Gemelli smiling and waving to well-wishers, while prayers for his recovery were held in Rome and in communities associated with his earlier life in Chicago and Peru.

The illness is the first publicly disclosed major health problem of Leo’s 17-month papacy, which began in May 2025 when he became the first US-born pontiff. It comes ahead of a planned South American visit in November, whose feasibility will depend on his recovery.

Gemelli has a long association with papal medical care, having repeatedly treated John Paul II and, more recently, Francis. For Leo, the immediate focus is postoperative recovery and the tissue examinations that will guide the next medical decisions.