Pope Leo XIV diagnosed with lung cancer after surgery, Vatican says

Pope Leo XIV has been diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma after surgeons removed the entire lower lobe of his right lung, the Vatican has said. The BBC reported that the 71-year-old underwent a 90-minute operation at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday. The Vatican said it was successful and there were no complications. [1]

The pope woke normally and returned to his room after a brief period of observation, according to the Vatican. The growth had been found during what it described as routine checks. On Sunday, before the operation, Pope Leo XIV said it was “contained” and had been detected “at a very early stage”, but that doctors had advised him to have it removed. [1]

A Vatican source told AFP that further tests were being carried out to look for signs that the cancer had spread, the BBC reported. The report also said the pope is expected to stay in hospital for about a week and that his schedule has been cleared until 20 October to allow him to recover. The BBC account gave no result from those tests establishing whether the cancer had spread. [1]