Pope Leo XIV has been diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma after surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung in a 90-minute operation at Rome's Gemelli hospital on Tuesday, the Vatican confirmed. The 71-year-old pontiff is recovering well, but doctors have not said whether the cancer has spread or what treatment will follow.
The Surgery and the Vatican's Announcement
The growth was discovered during a recent routine health checkup. The pope himself disclosed the planned surgery on Sunday, telling pilgrims at the Angelus in St. Peter's Square that the nodule was "well-contained" and detected at an early stage.
On Tuesday, October 13, a team led by thoracic surgeon Professor Stefano Margaritora operated at Rome’s Gemelli hospital. The procedure lasted about 90 minutes, and the lower lobe of his right lung was removed using a video-assisted technique. Tissue tests during the surgery confirmed what pre-operation exams had suspected: pulmonary adenocarcinoma. The Vatican described the removal as "radical" — all suspect tissue was taken to eliminate lingering traces of the cancer.
The operation was "completed successfully" and without complication; Leo woke up normally. On Wednesday, his doctors reported that recovery was proceeding as expected: he resumed a regular diet, began walking in his room, and celebrated Mass with his secretaries in a chapel set up on the hospital's 10th floor. In his first public message since the diagnosis, the pope thanked Catholics for their prayers: "I ask you please to pray for me, as I pray for you."
What Is Adenocarcinoma?
Adenocarcinoma is a cancer that forms in glandular cells — the cells that produce substances such as mucus. In the lungs it develops in the cells lining the air sacs, and grows more slowly than some other lung cancers, raising the chance of catching it before it spreads. It is the most common subtype of non-small cell lung cancer — roughly 40 percent of all lung cancer cases, according to the Lung Cancer Foundation of America.
While smoking remains the main risk factor, adenocarcinoma is also the most common type among people who have never smoked. The pope is not known to be a smoker, though there is cancer in his family: his older brother is currently in treatment, and their parents died of the disease in the 1990s. Early-stage adenocarcinoma often causes no symptoms and is found during scans done for other reasons.
Treatment Outlook and the Questions Ahead
For cancer confined to the lung, surgery offers the best chance of a cure — which is why the Vatican moved quickly. The crucial unknown is the stage: the Vatican has not disclosed the tumor's size or whether lymph nodes were affected.
"While we know the diagnosis, we now need to know the stage," said Dr. Stephen Liu of Georgetown's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. If the cancer has spread, options include chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or targeted oral-pill therapy.
The American Cancer Society puts five-year survival for non-small cell lung cancer at about 67 percent when confined to the lung — but only about 12 percent once it reaches distant organs. The American Lung Association notes that early, localized cases reach 80 to 98 percent five-year survival.
All of the pope's public events are canceled through October 20, and questions linger over his planned November 6–17 tour of Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru — where Leo once served as a missionary and bishop. Cardinal Pietro Parolin called the diagnosis "a bolt out of the blue," while Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle led Wednesday's Mass at St. Peter's Square in his place.
The Takeaway
The diagnosis has thrust a common but little-understood cancer into the global spotlight — and underscored why early detection matters: a routine checkup found Leo's nodule, and surgery gave him his best shot at a cure.
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Lightless Dawn (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0
Sources: USA Today, CNN, Medical News Today, Rappler