Pope Leo XIV has been diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma after undergoing successful surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung, the Vatican has announced.
The 71-year-old pontiff underwent a 90-minute operation on Tuesday at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where doctors removed the affected section of his lung after detecting a growth during what the Vatican described as routine medical checks.
In a medical bulletin, the Vatican said the operation was successful and that there were no complications.
“The operation was successful and there were no complications,” the statement said, adding that the Pope awoke normally after surgery and returned to his room following a brief period of observation.
The Vatican said doctors removed the entire lower lobe of the Pope’s right lung to ensure the procedure was sufficiently comprehensive.
Further tests were being conducted to determine whether the cancer had spread beyond the affected area, according to a Vatican source cited by Agence France-Presse.
The Pope had announced his planned operation during his traditional Angelus blessing in St Peter’s Square on Sunday, telling worshippers that doctors had discovered a lung nodule which they considered contained and detected at an early stage.
Although lung nodules are relatively common and are not always cancerous, subsequent examination confirmed the presence of pulmonary adenocarcinoma, a type of lung cancer, the Vatican said.
The pontiff, who is generally considered to be in good health, reportedly showed no symptoms of infection or other illness before the procedure.
The Vatican said Pope Leo was expected to remain at Gemelli Hospital for approximately a week as he recovers from the operation.
His official schedule had already been cleared until October 20 to allow time for his recovery.
