Pope Leo XIV has been diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma following surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.
The diagnosis was confirmed through tissue examination during the operation, according to a statement issued by the Holy See Press Office and attributed to Dr Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora.
Adenocarcinoma is a type of cancer that develops in glandular cells found in various organs and tissues of the body, including the lungs, breast, colon, prostate and pancreas.
The doctors said the diagnosis was consistent with findings from the Pope’s preoperative examinations, which had raised suspicions of lung adenocarcinoma.
“As planned, the Holy Father underwent thoracic surgery. To ensure a radical resection, the lower lobe of his right lung was removed using a video-assisted technique,” the statement said.
The Pope reportedly spent approximately three hours in the operating room, while the surgical procedure itself lasted about 90 minutes.
“The operation was successful, and there were no complications,” the doctors said.
Pope Leo awoke normally after the procedure and, following a brief period of observation, was transferred back to his room on the 10th floor of Gemelli Hospital.
The tissue examination conducted during the operation confirmed the presence of lung adenocarcinoma, a cancer that originates in the glandular cells of the lung.
According to the Holy See, the surgery was performed to achieve a radical resection, involving the removal of the affected lower lobe of the Pope’s right lung using a video-assisted surgical technique.
The Pope remains under medical care at Gemelli Hospital following the procedure.
