Pope Leo’s doctors say no further cancer treatment is needed

Pope Leo XIV will not need further treatment after surgery for lung cancer, his doctors said Wednesday, after tests showed that the disease was localised. The Vatican said final histopathology and molecular testing on the removed tissue confirmed a lung adenocarcinoma and that a subsequent oncology assessment found no need for additional therapy. The 71-year-old pope underwent surgery on October 13 at Rome’s Gemelli hospital to remove the lower lobe of his right lung.

His doctors, Luigi Carbone and Stefano Margaritora, said the examination of the tissue did not indicate that the disease had spread. The Vatican has not described the diagnosis using a formal cancer stage. Doctors told Vatican News that the lung nodule had been discovered incidentally during routine abdominal examinations and that Leo had not experienced symptoms.

External medical experts cited by France 24 and ABC News Australia said the information was consistent with an early, potentially stage-one cancer for which surgery can be sufficient, but those assessments were not the Vatican’s own formal staging. Additional treatment can be considered when tests show that a tumour has spread, including to lymph nodes, or appears especially aggressive. The decision not to provide further therapy therefore indicates that the doctors considered the surgery and test results sufficient, although the reports do not provide a detailed follow-up schedule or prognosis beyond the statement that no treatment is currently required.

Leo was discharged from Gemelli four days after the operation and has been instructed to resume activities gradually. On Wednesday he returned to St Peter’s Square for his weekly general audience, his first such audience since leaving hospital. He also appeared at the traditional Sunday blessing from a Vatican window and thanked worshippers for their prayers.

The pontiff continued some official business during his hospital stay, including a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to the BBC, Leo urged a ceasefire in the blockaded Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky to permit food aid and called for dialogue and peace. He also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday.

His doctors said there was no clinical reason to cancel a planned November 6-17 trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. The journey is expected to involve about a dozen flights, two helicopter transfers and stops at high altitude. The Vatican says he will return to his work progressively, so the medical clearance does not necessarily mean an immediate return to his full schedule.

Leo announced the planned removal of the lung nodule during a televised Sunday blessing on October 11, an unusually open disclosure of papal health information. The latest statement has eased concerns that chemotherapy or radiotherapy might interrupt his 17-month pontificate, but the Vatican’s announcement remains focused on the present test results and medical advice rather than a long-term guarantee.