Doctors Say Pope Leo Needs No Further Cancer Treatment

Pope Leo XIV, followed by his surgeon Stefano Margaritora, waves to people as he leaves the Gemelli University Hospital, four days after a surgery to remove a cancerous tumour from his right lung, in Rome on Oct. 17, 2026. Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images

Pope Leo XIV will not need any further cancer treatment after his surgery for lung cancer last week, his doctors said Oct. 21.

“A subsequent oncological evaluation has confirmed that no further therapy is required,” the pope’s lead surgeon, Stefano Margaritora, and his personal physician, Luigi Carbone, said in a statement released by the Vatican.

His doctors said their final histological examinations and molecular biology analyses of the tissue removed confirmed the pope’s diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, with the common non-small cell lung cancer remaining localized.

The 71-year-old pontiff had the lower lobe of his right lung removed in surgery on Oct. 13. He was discharged from Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Oct. 17, four days after the successful surgery, and is gradually resuming his normal duties.

Doctors said they expected the pope’s full recovery within 10 days.

Margaritora told Vatican News that the tumor was discovered by chance during a routine abdominal examination. He said that as the cancer was found at an early stage, the pope had “no respiratory symptoms and felt perfectly well.”

Ahead of the operation, Pope Leo disclosed to the public that doctors found a small, localized nodule in his lung.

“It was detected at a very early stage and is well-localized,” Leo said in a post on X. “The doctors believe that it is best to intervene, so, following their advice, I have decided to undergo surgery to remove it.”

On Oct. 18, Leo appeared at the window of the Apostolic Palace for the Angelus prayer, his first public appearance since discharge. He thanked those who had prayed for him and said the experience had drawn him closer to others facing illness.

“Now that this delicate phase is behind me, I will gradually resume my activities, always with God’s help and your prayers,” he told the crowd in St. Peter’s Square.

Margaritora has said there are “no clinical reasons” the pope could not undertake his upcoming trip to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, scheduled from Nov. 6 to 17.