Pope Leo doesn’t need further treatment for lung cancer, doctors say
Por Associated Press — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement Pope Leo XIV World Europe Pope Leo doesn’t need further treatment for lung cancer, doctors say
Follow-up tests show the pontiff’s disease has not spread after he had surgery to remove part of his lung
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Associated Press Published: 4:23am, 22 Oct 2026
Pope Leo needs no further treatment for lung cancer after follow-up tests confirmed the disease was localised, the Vatican said in a statement on Wednesday.
Leo, 71, had the lower lobe of his right lung removed last week in the first major health event of his 17-month pontificate. The surgery confirmed he had adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer.
He left the hospital on Saturday, four days after surgery and well ahead of the week-long hospital stay the Vatican had initially anticipated.
The pope’s personal doctor, Luigi Carbone, and his surgeon, Stefano Margaritora, said in a statement that results of the final post-operative tests on tissue removed during the pope’s surgery confirmed the initial diagnosis and that the cancer had not spread.
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