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Doctors say Pope Leo needs no further treatment after lung cancer surgery

Doctors say tests confirmed a localized lung cancer after the October surgery, and the pope was discharged Saturday.

Updated Oct 22, 2026 · 00:10 UTC3 reports

The short version

  • Doctors said Pope Leo XIV needs no further treatment after lung cancer surgery, citing localized disease.[CBS News]
  • The 71-year-old pontiff had the lower lobe of his right lung removed on October 13 for adenocarcinoma.[Al Jazeera]
  • He was discharged Saturday, and his surgeon said there is no clinical reason to prevent his scheduled November trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.[Associated Press · Al Jazeera]
  • The stage I classification comes from an outside expert's reading of the statements, not a stage stated by doctors.[Associated Press]

Key facts

  • Doctors said Pope Leo XIV will need no further treatment after lung cancer surgery.[CBS News]
  • Test results confirmed the cancer was localized, according to Dr. Luigi Carbone and Dr. Stefano Margaritora.[CBS News]
  • The 71-year-old pope had the lower lobe of his right lung removed on October 13 after an adenocarcinoma diagnosis.[Al Jazeera]
  • Leo was discharged from Rome's Gemelli Polyclinic on Saturday, four days after his operation.[Al Jazeera]
  • Margaritora told Vatican News there was no clinical reason to prevent the scheduled November 6-17 trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.[Associated Press]
  • Dr. Stephen Liu, a Georgetown lung cancer expert, said the statements suggest stage I disease expected to be curative.[Associated Press]

What remains uncertain

  • The stage I characterization is an outside expert's interpretation of the doctors' statements, not a stage stated by the doctors.[Associated Press]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.