Surgeons in Rome removed the lower lobe of Pope Leo XIV's right lung Tuesday (Oct. 13), and tissue analyzed during the operation confirmed lung adenocarcinoma, his doctors said in a statement released by the Holy See Press Office.
The finding matched what tests before the surgery had indicated, according to the statement from Dr. Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora. Until Tuesday, neither the 71-year-old pope nor the Vatican had said what kind of tissue the growth contained. When Leo announced the operation Sunday, he spoke only of a small lung nodule that had been caught early, as previously reported by Christian Daily International.
Adenocarcinoma is the most common form of non-small cell lung cancer. The doctors' statement did not give a stage for the disease or say whether further treatment is planned.
Operation and recovery
The doctors described the surgery at Rome's Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic as successful and said there were no complications. Leo was in the operating room for about three hours, of which the procedure itself took roughly 90 minutes.
Surgeons used a video-assisted technique, a minimally invasive approach, and took out the entire lobe in order to remove the diseased tissue completely, the statement said.
The pope woke normally from anesthesia. After a short period of observation, he was taken back to his room on the hospital's 10th floor.
Later that evening, Leo asked for dinner and spent time with his secretaries and other Vatican staff, Holy See Press Office Director Matteo Bruni said, according to Vatican News, the Holy See's official news portal.
Additional examinations of the removed tissue will be carried out over the coming days. The Vatican has not changed its earlier estimate of a one-week hospital stay.
The press office is expected to issue an update Wednesday morning on how the pope spent the night and on any test results available by then, the outlet said.
Leo first disclosed the nodule to pilgrims in St. Peter's Square after leading the Angelus prayer Sunday. He said his medical team had advised surgery and that he had accepted their recommendation.
"The doctors believe that it is best to intervene, so, following their advice, I have decided to undergo surgery to remove it," he said, according to the Vatican News text of his remarks. He also asked the faithful for their prayers.
During the same address, the pope said his visit to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, scheduled for November, would go ahead. Tuesday's statement did not address the trip.
Born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, Leo was elected in May 2025 as the first pope from the United States, succeeding Pope Francis.
