Pope Leo XIV has successfully undergone surgery for lung cancer, the Vatican has said

Pope Leo XIV underwent surgery on Tuesday (October 13) to remove a cancerous tumour from his right lung, the Vatican has said.

The Pope will undergo additional testing following a “successful” operation that lasted 90 minutes with no complications, it added.

The pontiff had on Sunday announced that a nodule had been “detected at a very early stage” during routine examinations.

Background

Pope Leo XIV, 71, was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday after routine examinations identified a small, well-contained nodule in his lung.

Surgeons removed the entire lower lobe of his right lung “to ensure the procedure was radical,” and an intraoperative examination confirmed lung adenocarcinoma, as pre-operative tests had suspected.

Lung adenocarcinoma is a common form of lung cancer; the Vatican has said the Pope will now undergo additional testing and monitoring