Pope Leo XIV post-op results show no further treatment required as tumour was localised

By Euronews

Published on 21/10/2026 - 22:49 GMT+2

Final histological tests and molecular biology analyses carried out on tissue removed during Pope Leo XIV’s surgery have confirmed the presence of a localised pulmonary adenocarcinoma.

A subsequent oncological assessment has determined that no further therapy is necessary.

The update was given by the Pope’s doctors, Dr Luigi Carbone and Prof Stefano Margaritora, as they reported on the pontiff’s postoperative progress.

The examinations confirmed that the disease had not spread beyond the lung. In light of these results and the specialist evaluation, no additional oncological treatment has been deemed necessary.

It was the Pope himself who, during the Angelus prayer on 11 October, revealed that he had a nodule in his right lung. He was then admitted to hospital and underwent surgery on 13 October, in an operation lasting around an hour and a half.