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Pope Leo needs no further cancer treatment after lung surgery

Doctors say the 71-year-old pontiff's lung cancer was localised and requires no ongoing therapy following his operation last week.

22 October 2026Tagblick Newsdesk

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Archive photo: Pope Leo needs no further cancer treatment after lung surgery — Archive photoPhoto: Edgar Beltrán , The Pillar · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pope Leo underwent surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung last week, which doctors confirmed was affected by adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer. The Vatican announced on Wednesday that follow-up tissue and molecular tests had confirmed the disease was localised, meaning no further treatment would be necessary. The pontiff, aged 71, had been hospitalised for the procedure and left the hospital on Saturday, four days after the operation and ahead of the week-long stay the Vatican had initially expected.

The surgery marked the first major health event of Pope Leo's 17-month pontificate. His doctors, Dr. Luigi Carbone and Prof. Stefano Margaritora, said in their statement that test results confirmed the tumour was a pulmonary adenocarcinoma and that the disease had not spread. The Vatican noted that the pope had broken with traditions of secrecy around papal health matters by publicly announcing the need for surgery to remove a nodule on his lung.

One week after the operation, Pope Leo made his first public appearance, travelling through St Peter's Square in the popemobile. During this outing, he held his first general audience at the Vatican since undergoing surgery. The pontiff greeted pilgrims, waved and smiled from the vehicle, and thanked supporters for their prayers and backing during his recovery.

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