Vatican City, 21 October. Final histological and molecular biology tests on the tissue removed from Pope Leo XIV confirmed that the tumour was a localised lung adenocarcinoma and that no further treatment is necessary, the Holy See Press Office said.
The statement was signed by the pope's personal physician, Luigi Carbone, and Stefano Margaritora, the surgeon who operated on him; the press office released it on Wednesday at 9 p.m. Rome time. According to the doctors, the test results were issued that day, and "a subsequent oncological assessment has confirmed that no further treatment is necessary". "Localised" means that, according to the tests, the disease had not spread beyond the lung. Anna Lisa Bilotta, who works at Salvator Mundi International Hospital in Rome, explained that the cancer had been removed at an early stage and that no therapy is needed apart from periodic check-ups.
The 71-year-old pope was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on 13 October; he himself announced on 11 October, during the Angelus prayer, that a nodule had been found in his lung and that he would undergo surgery. The operation lasted about an hour and a half: surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung, and tissue examination during the operation confirmed adenocarcinoma, a form of non-small cell lung cancer. On 17 October Leo XIV returned to the Vatican, and on Wednesday, 21 October, he held the weekly general audience in St Peter's Square.
In an interview with Vatican News, Margaritora said there was no medical reason to cancel the pope's trip to South America. In November Leo XIV plans to visit Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.
What it means: The final tests showed that the disease was localised and that surgery was enough: the pope needs no further treatment, only monitoring and check-ups. The surgeon sees no medical reason to change the plans for the November trip.
Who benefits: This concerns the health of the head of the Catholic Church, and nobody benefits; the news matters first of all to the pope himself, to believers who have been following his condition and to the countries awaiting his visit in November.
Background: Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost, was elected in 2025 and became the first pope born in the United States; this hospital stay was the first since the start of his pontificate.
List of sources used: Vatican News, America Magazine, Euronews, CNN, News of Bahrain, TASS
Artificial intelligence was used in preparing this material.
