Pope Leo's treatment for lung cancer was successful, Vatican announces

Published: 22:07 BST, 21 October 2026 | Updated: 22:53 BST, 21 October 2026

Pope Leo's lung cancer treatment was successful, the Vatican announced on Wednesday. 

The pontiff, 71, was released from the hospital on Saturday – just four days after undergoing a procedure to remove a cancerous mass from his lung. 

And now the pope, from Chicago, Illinois, will not need any further treatment, according to the Vatican press office. 

'The final histological reports and molecular biology analyses of the tissue removed during the Holy Father’s surgery were issued today,' Dr Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora said. 

'The results confirmed that the tumor was a lung adenocarcinoma and that the disease was localized. 

'A subsequent oncological assessment has confirmed that no further treatment is necessary.' 

Pulmonary adenocarcinoma is the most common type of lung cancer that accounts for about 40 percent of cases worldwide. 

The head of the Catholic Church went in for a 90-minute procedure last Tuesday morning after a lesion was found on his chest. 

Pope Leo's treatment for lung cancer was successful, the Vatican announced on Wednesday

The head of the Catholic Church went in for a 90-minute procedure last Tuesday morning after a lesion was found on his chest. He was released Saturday afternoon and attended Mass on Sunday morning at St Peter's Square

During the surgery, a piece of Pope Leo XIV's right lung was removed, the Vatican said last week. 

His recovery was supposed to last about a week after he was discharged from Rome's Agostino Gemelli University Hospital on Saturday afternoon. 

He was cheered on by thousands on Sunday morning after he appeared at St Peter's Square to lead a prayer service. 

The pontiff appeared at the window of his Apostolic Palace to choruses of 'Viva il papa! (Hooray for the Pope!)' before rounding off a tough week by delivering his first Angelus prayer since leaving the hospital. 

Smiling from a window of the Vatican's Apostolic Palace as he spoke to people below in a firm, clear voice on Sunday, the first US Pope thanked people across the world for their prayers and said he would now begin to resume his normal schedule. 

'Having overcome this delicate phase... I will now gradually resume my activities, always with the help of God and your prayers,' Leo, who made his way to the service unaided, said. 

He also urged those waiting below under cloudy skies to set aside any selfish ambitions and serve God 'without compromise.' 

The pontiff appeared at the window of his Apostolic Palace to choruses of 'Viva il papa! (Hooray for the Pope!)'

The pope said the experience of the last week 'has made me feel especially close to those facing illness and infirmity.'

He told the faithful that he had 'truly felt your support', and expressed 'particular gratitude to the doctors, nurses and all the staff at Gemelli hospital' where he was treated.

The Pope paused for a moment and waved to the crowd before retreating into his apartment in the Apostolic Palace.

A delegation from Africa in Rome for a congress danced and ululated after the Pope's blessing. One Catholic nun knelt and cried, holding her hand over her face.

A few steps away, a group of other nuns held a sign reading: 'Best wishes, Holy Father. We love you and we are praying for you.'

He became pope on May 8, 2025, making him the first American-born pontiff in the history of the Roman Catholic Church. 

The pope was ordained as a priest in the Windy City in 1982, and went on to participate in missionary work in Peru in the 1980s and 1990s. 

Before becoming the pope, he was known as Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost.