Pope Leo has had surgery to remove part of his lung when it was discovered he had cancer, the Vatican has said.
The 71-year-old had a successful 90-minute surgery to take out the lower lobe of his right lung and was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma.
‘The surgery was successful, and there were no complications,’ the statement the Vatican said.
‘After the operation, the Pope awoke normally and returned after a brief period of observation to his room on the 10th floor,’ the Vatican said in a statement.
The Vatican press office noted the medical statement spoke of the ‘radical’ removal of the lobe as an indication that doctors removed all suspect tissue in hopes of removing any lingering traces of the cancer.
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Leo’s lymph nodes also would have been removed and tested, to determine if the cancer had spread, and there was no word yet on those test results.
Pope Leo XIV revealed he was going into surgery during Sunday prayers at the Vatican.
He told followers who had gathered in St Peter’s Square: ‘Recently, during some medical tests, doctors discovered a localised nodule in my lung.’
Robert Francis Prevost, 71, was named the first American to serve as Pope in 2025.
The Pope was born in Chicago and was made cardinal by Francis in 2023.
This past week, Pope Leo declared capital punishment ‘inadmissible’ following plans for the United States to livestream an execution by firing squad.
What is lung adenocarcinoma?
Lung adenocarcinoma is the most common type of lung cancers It develops from glandular cells that line the lungs and normally produce substances such as mucus.
Key facts
- Can occur in both smokers and non-smokers, although smoking remains a major risk factor.
- It is the most common type of lung cancer in people who have never smoked.
- Tends to grow more slowly than some other lung cancers, but it can still spread (metastasise) to lymph nodes, bones, liver, brain, or other organs.
Common symptoms
- Persistent cough
- Coughing up blood
- Shortness of breath
- Chest pain
- Recurrent chest infections
- Unexplained weight loss
- Fatigue
‘Adenocarcinoma is the most common (type of lung cancer), also with the most favourable prognosis,’ said Dr Stephen Liu, a lung cancer expert at Georgetown’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Centre.
‘While we know the diagnosis we now need to know the stage.’
‘We now need to know how big it is, how many spots in the lung are involved. Is it just one nodule, or more than one, and the lymph nodes, are they cancerous?’ Liu said.
If the cancer has spread, more tests will be needed to determine what kind of therapy to pursue, he said. Options include chemotherapy, a combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy or targeted therapy, which involves oral pills for specific cancers.