Pope Leo being released from hospital today as doctors say 71-year-old is fit for discharge after lung cancer surgery

Pope Leo XIV is being released from hospital, four days after undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous mass from his lung, the Vatican has announced.

The Pontiff, 71, went in for a 90-minute surgery on Tuesday morning after a lesion was found on his chest and he was later diagnosed with cancer after having part of his right lung removed. 

Doctors have confirmed he has adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer.

Pope Leo is expected to deliver the traditional noon blessing tomorrow (Sunday) from a window overlooking St Peter's Square, the Vatican added. 

His personal physician and surgeon said in a separate statement that Pope Leo was 'deemed fit for discharge from the hospital' based on blood test results and a chest X-ray performed on Saturday morning, alongside an assessment of his clinical condition.

The American pontiff is expected to leave the hospital on Saturday afternoon and will return to the Vatican.

He has offered a rare level of transparency after announcing last Sunday to the faithful gathered in St Peter's Square that doctors had identified a nodule on his lung, and that it would be removed.

Pope Leo revealed his diagnosis to millions around the world on live television almost as an aside at the end of his blessing.

The Vatican has previously been extremely secretive about the health of popes and tightly controlled any such information - a practice encapsulated in the popular Italian saying, 'The pope is fine until he's dead.'

Since his surgery, Pope Leo has given strong indications he has been recovering well, including by holding a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, meeting with top aides and celebrating Mass in a hospital chapel.

His personal doctor has also indicated a good post-operative recovery that has allowed the pontiff to carry on 'normal daily activities completely on his own.'

Yesterday, the Vatican released the first images of Leo since his lung cancer surgery, showing him standing up at an altar in a hospital chapel in green vestments, as doctors said that tests confirmed his 'continued improvement.'

Pope Leo presided alone over the liturgy, distributing Communion to medical personnel and Vatican gendarmes present, spokesman Matteo Bruni said. 

He also delivered a homily in which he thanked the hospital staff 'for the work they do every day taking care of the sick in their fragility, and in a particular way what they had done for him,' Bruni said.

The Vatican had originally estimated he would stay in hospital for a week, and had cancelled his audiences until Tuesday. 

Bruni said the discharge date would be decided by the Pope's doctors.

His next big agenda item is a trip to Latin America next month, which gives Pope Leo three more weeks of recovery before taking on the ambitious journey. His itinerary is said to include a dozen flights and two helicopter trips.

The Vatican has given signs the trip will go ahead, publishing the names of journalists accredited to fly on Pope Leo's plane on Friday. 

Oncology surgeons say protocols generally clear patients to fly after three weeks, as long as recovery allows.

Doctors are still awaiting test results to determine whether further treatment will be necessary.