Pope Leo has been diagnosed with cancer after undergoing surgery to remove part of his lung, the Vatican has announced. The 71-year-old had a successful 90-minute procedure to remove the lower lobe of his right lung, during which he was found to have lung adenocarcinoma.
Successful surgery and recovery
The Vatican said in a statement: “The surgery was successful, and there were no complications.” It added: “After the operation, the Pope awoke normally and returned after a brief period of observation to his room on the 10th floor.”
The Vatican press office noted that the medical statement referred to the “radical” removal of the lobe, indicating that doctors removed all suspect tissue in hopes of eliminating any lingering traces of the cancer.
Tests and next steps
Leo’s lymph nodes were also removed and tested to determine whether the cancer had spread, though no results have been announced yet. Pope Leo XIV had revealed he was going into surgery during Sunday prayers at the Vatican, telling followers 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. Born in Chicago, he was made cardinal by Francis in 2023. Earlier this 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 cancer. It develops from glandular cells that line the lungs and normally produce substances such as mucus. It can occur in both smokers and non-smokers, although smoking remains a major risk factor, and it is the most common type of lung cancer in people who have never smoked.
The cancer tends to grow more slowly than some other lung cancers, but it can still spread to lymph nodes, bones, liver, brain, or other organs. Common symptoms include a persistent cough, coughing up blood, shortness of breath, chest pain, recurrent chest infections, unexplained weight loss, and fatigue.
Dr Stephen Liu, a lung cancer expert at Georgetown’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Centre, said: “Adenocarcinoma is the most common (type of lung cancer), also with the most favourable prognosis.” He added: “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?”
If the cancer has spread, more tests will be needed to determine what kind of therapy to pursue. Options include chemotherapy, a combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy, or targeted therapy, which involves oral pills for specific cancers.
