Pope Leo needs no further treatment after cancer surgery, doctors say

The 71-year-old leader of the Catholic church has had the lower lobe of his right lung removed in surgery.

Pope Leo XIV waves to the crowd at the end of the weekly general audience at St Peter's Square in The Vatican on October 21, 2026 [Tiziana Fabi/AFP]

Pope Leo XIV needs no further treatment for lung cancer after confirming the disease had not spread following recent surgery, the Vatican announced in a statement from doctors.

“A subsequent oncological evaluation has confirmed that no further therapy is required,” the pope’s lead surgeon, Stefano Margaritora, and his personal physician, Luigi Carbone, said Wednesday.

list 1 of 3 Pope Leo recovering well after cancer surgery, Vatican says

list 2 of 3 Pope Leo resumes work in hospital while recovering from surgery

list 3 of 3 Pope Leo to make public appearance Sunday, first since cancer surgery

The 71-year-old pontiff had the lower lobe of his right lung surgically removed on October 13 and was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer. Leo was discharged from Rome’s Gemelli Polyclinic on Saturday, four days after his operation, and the Vatican said he would gradually resume his activities. On Wednesday, he returned to St Peter’s Square for his weekly audience with pilgrims.

Pope Leo XIV greets cardinals as he arrives for the weekly general audience at St Peter’s Square in the Vatican on October 21, 2026 [Tiziana Fabi/AFP]

Additional treatment is generally offered in cases where follow-up testing finds signs that the cancer has spread, such as through the lymph nodes, or if other signs indicate that it might be particularly aggressive. Surgery often can be enough when tumours are caught very early, as the Catholic leader appears to have had, when the nodule was initially found during another unrelated exam.

In an interview with Vatican News on Saturday, Margaritora, the chief thoracic surgeon at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, confirmed that the nodule was found by chance during routine abdominal examinations, and that the pope had not been experiencing any symptoms.

Pope Leo XIV greets the faithful during his weekly general audience in Vatican City on October 21, 2026 [Fabio Frustaci/EPA]

The pope carried on his official business while in the hospital, including a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He has appeared strong in two public appearances at the Vatican since his surgery: the traditional Sunday blessing from a window overlooking St Peter’s Square and Wednesday’s longer audience in the square, greeting the faithful from around the world.

“Thank you! Thank you for the support of your prayers,” Leo exclaimed to the audience.

It appears that the Catholic leader remains committed to his November 6-17 trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.

Leo’s lead surgeon told Vatican News that there was “no clinical reason” to prevent the trip, which includes a dozen flights, two helicopter rides and high-altitude stops.

这位71岁的天主教教会领袖接受了手术，切除了右肺的下叶。

2026年10月21日，教宗良十四世在梵蒂冈圣彼得广场每周例行公开接见活动结束时向人群挥手致意。[Tiziana Fabi/AFP]

梵蒂冈通过医生发表声明宣布，教宗良十四世在接受肺癌手术后，确认病情没有扩散，无需再接受治疗。

教皇的首席外科医生斯特凡诺·马加里托拉和他的私人医生路易吉·卡博内周三表示：“随后的肿瘤学评估证实，无需进一步治疗。”

教宗利奥三世癌症手术后恢复良好，梵蒂冈方面表示（列表1/3）

教宗利奥三世术后康复期间在医院恢复工作（共3条记录，此为第2条）

教宗利奥三世将于周日公开露面，这是他癌症手术后的首次公开露面（共3条记录，此为第3条）。

71岁的教宗利奥于10月13日接受了右肺下叶切除手术，并被诊断出患有肺腺癌，这是最常见的肺癌类型。手术四天后，即周六，利奥从罗马杰梅利综合诊所出院。梵蒂冈表示，他将逐步恢复各项活动。周三，他重返圣伯多禄广场，与朝圣者进行每周例行接见。

2026年10月21日，教宗良十四世抵达梵蒂冈圣伯多禄广场，参加每周例行的公开接见活动，并向枢机主教们致意。[Tiziana Fabi/AFP]

如果后续检查发现癌症已扩散（例如通过淋巴结扩散），或者其他迹象表明癌症可能具有很强的侵袭性，通常会建议进行额外的治疗。如果肿瘤发现得非常早，手术通常就足够了，就像这位天主教领袖的情况一样，他的结节最初是在另一次无关的检查中发现的。

周六，罗马杰梅利医院首席胸外科医生马加里托拉在接受梵蒂冈新闻采访时证实，该结节是在例行腹部检查中偶然发现的，而且教皇没有任何症状。

2026年10月21日，教宗良十四世在梵蒂冈城举行每周例行公开接见活动，向信众致意。[Fabio Frustaci/EPA]

教宗在住院期间仍继续处理公务，包括与俄罗斯总统普京通话。手术后，他两次在梵蒂冈公开露面，精神矍铄：一次是周日从俯瞰圣彼得广场的窗口为信众祈福，另一次是周三在广场上与来自世界各地的信徒进行长时间的接见。

“谢谢大家！感谢大家的祈祷和支持！”利奥向观众们激动地说道。

这位天主教领袖似乎仍然坚持他11月6日至17日对乌拉圭、阿根廷和秘鲁的访问计划。

利奥的主刀医生告诉梵蒂冈新闻网，没有“临床理由”阻止这次旅行，其中包括十几次飞行、两次直升机飞行和高海拔停留。