Updated October 13, 2026, 10:15 p.m. ET
Pope Leo XIV is recovering after surgery on October 13 that resulted in a diagnosis of lung cancer.
The pope underwent surgery Tuesday to remove a small lung nodule that doctors discovered during a recent checkup. It is the first significant medical procedure of the 71-year-old’s papacy.
The Vatican announced this afternoon that the operation had “completed successfully” and without complications, and that the pope “woke up normally and, after a brief period of observation, returned to his room on the tenth floor.”
During the procedure, a team from Agostino Gemelli University Hospital led by Professor Stefano Margaritora discovered lung adenocarcinoma, the most common type of non-small cell lung cancer. The lower lobe of the pope’s right lung was removed, according to a Vatican statement.
The release said tissue testing confirmed what had been indicated by pre-operative testing. The Vatican previously said the pope was expected to spend a week in hospital recovering.
USA TODAY has contacted the Vatican for further comment.
The pope is the ultimate earthly authority for the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics and has no deputy who steps in when he is ill. All Leo public events have been canceled until October 20. He is scheduled to complete an 11-day tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru starting November 6.
Dr. Diego Avella-Patiño of the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Health System, told USA TODAY in an interview that patients typically recover from surgery in about two to three weeks, although progress can depend on the patient’s overall health.
What was Pope Leo diagnosed with?
Adenocarcinoma is the most common type of lung cancer, according to Harvard Medical School. It’s a type of cancer that forms in glandular cells, according to the Lung Cancer Institute of America.
Although it is usually found in smokers, it is the most common type of lung cancer in nonsmokers, according to Harvard. It is not known that Leo is a smoker or has had recent health problems.
It is more likely to be detected before it spreads than other lung cancers because it tends to grow more slowly, according to the Lung Cancer Institute of America. According to Harvard, it may respond better to treatment than other lung cancers if it is localized.
Prognosis is based on the stage of the cancer, the ability to identify specific mutations in cancer cells for targeted treatment and the patient’s overall health, according to Harvard.
The bulletin did not indicate what stage Pope Leo’s cancer was in or whether it was localized.
Avella-Patiño said the tests would return results in about seven days if the procedure had taken place in the United States. He noted that the removal of the lung indicated that doctors believed the cancer was at an early stage.
Dr. Stephen Liu, a lung cancer expert at Georgetown University and division chief of hematology-oncology at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, told Reuters that Pope’s prognosis depends on the stage of the cancer when it was discovered.
“If it’s a small lung cancer with no lymph nodes involved, the surgery itself will likely be curative,” Liu said. “But if the final analysis reveals greater cancer involvement, that indicates a poorer prognosis.”
Contributors: Terry Moseley and Jay Stahl, USA TODAY; Reuters
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