POPE Leo XIV will not require further treatment following surgery to remove a cancerous tumour from his right lung, the Vatican said on Wednesday, after final laboratory tests confirmed that the disease was localized.
In a statement released by the Holy See Press Office, the Pope’s medical team said histopathology and molecular testing had confirmed that the tumour removed during surgery on October 13 was a lung adenocarcinoma. A subsequent assessment by cancer specialists concluded that no additional treatment was necessary.
“The results confirmed that the tumor was a lung adenocarcinoma and that the disease was localized,” the statement said. “A subsequent oncological assessment has confirmed that no further treatment is necessary.”
The statement was issued by Dr Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora, who have overseen the pontiff’s treatment.
The findings provide further clarity on the Pope’s condition following the operation and indicate that the medical team considers additional cancer treatment unnecessary at this stage.
The announcement comes as the 71-year-old pontiff continues his recovery at the Vatican after being discharged from Rome’s Agostino Gemelli Hospital on October 17.
He returned to public duties on Wednesday, holding his weekly general audience in St Peter’s Square, four days after leaving hospital.
The latest medical assessment follows earlier updates from the Vatican indicating that the Pope’s postoperative recovery was progressing normally.
The final examination of the removed tissue has now established the tumour’s type and confirmed that the disease was confined to a localized area.
Lung adenocarcinoma is a type of non-small-cell lung cancer that develops in glandular cells, which produce substances such as mucus. Although the diagnosis confirms that the tumour was cancerous, the medical team’s finding that the disease was localized is an important distinction in assessing the need for further treatment.
The Vatican has not provided additional details about the tumour’s molecular characteristics or outlined a separate long-term monitoring plan.
The latest statement, however, explicitly confirms that the subsequent oncological assessment found no need for further treatment.
Pope Leo, who became the first American-born pontiff when he was elected in May 2025, had suspended his public engagements around the operation.
The announcement is likely to reassure Catholics and others who have followed the Pope’s health closely since the Vatican disclosed that he would undergo an operation to remove a suspicious lung nodule.
The medical team’s latest findings provide a more definitive account of the tumour than was available immediately after the procedure.
