Pope Leo XIV faces lung cancer diagnosis after lobe removal

Pope Leo XIV, 71, was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma after Oct. 13 surgery in Rome removed the lower lobe of his right lung, a Vatican press release cited by Healthline News said.

Evidence grade: Claim (no study cited) for the Vatican’s individual medical update. The diagnosis carries institutional and health stakes because further treatment has not been announced, while adenocarcinoma accounts for around 40% of lung cancer diagnoses globally.

The operation took place at Agostino Gemelli University Policlinic after doctors identified a nodule in the Pope’s right lung, according to the Vatican account cited by Healthline. The Pope was in the operating room for 3 hours, and the surgery itself lasted about 90 minutes.

Luigi Carbone, director of Vatican Healthcare Services, and Stefano Margaritora, the lead surgeon, said in the Vatican press release that surgeons removed the lower lobe “to ensure a radical procedure; the lower lobe of the right lung was removed using a video-assisted technique.”

“An intraoperative histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, as suspected from the preoperative examinations,” Carbone and Margaritora said. An intraoperative histological examination means tissue was examined during the procedure.

The doctors described the operation as successful and without complications, according to Healthline. Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, said the Pope asked for dinner afterward and spent the evening with secretaries and Vatican staff.

The Vatican said the Pope had a calm first night after surgery and that the originally announced hospital stay of about 1 week had not changed. On Oct. 14, he underwent planned blood tests and chest X-rays; the Vatican said the results were within the expected range for the procedure.

The Pope has also received respiratory physiotherapy and has begun walking in his room, the Vatican said. Atlas360 reported on Oct. 17 that he was expected to be discharged after successful surgery, while questions remained about long-term health and administrative continuity.

Lung adenocarcinoma is a type of non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC, which Healthline said accounts for about 80% to 85% of all lung cancers. Adenocarcinoma begins in mucus-producing epithelial cells and can be driven by different genetic changes.

Healthline said treatment for NSCLC is generally determined by stage and may involve surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy or immunotherapy. The right lung has three lobes, and removal of the affected lobe is a common surgical approach when doctors seek to remove a tumor.

The public updates cannot establish the Pope’s cancer stage, prognosis, biomarker status or whether he will receive additional therapy. No research funding or conflict disclosures apply because the news is a medical update, not a study.

The general treatment information applies to people with non-small cell lung cancer, not to the Pope’s individual outlook. Healthline cited the American Cancer Society as saying the 5-year relative survival rate for NSCLC that has not spread outside the lung is 67%.

Source: Healthline News article citing Vatican press releases and Vatican News, updated Oct. 14, 2026.

Atlas360 reports health research and does not provide medical advice.