Pope Leo XIV needs no further cancer treatment after successful surgery

Pope Leo XIV requires no further treatment for lung cancer after follow-up tests confirmed the disease was localised, according to reports by Al Jazeera, the South China Morning Post, Euronews, France 24, CNN, Sky News, and ABC News. The Vatican issued a statement on Wednesday citing the pontiff's medical team. His lead surgeon, Stefano Margaritora, and personal physician, Luigi Carbone, stated that a subsequent oncological evaluation confirmed no additional therapy is required. [1][2][3][4][5][6][8]

The 71-year-old leader of the Catholic Church had the lower lobe of his right lung surgically removed on October 13, Al Jazeera reported. Euronews noted that the operation lasted 90 minutes. Final histological tests and molecular biology analyses conducted on the removed tissue confirmed a diagnosis of localised pulmonary adenocarcinoma, which is the most common form of lung cancer. The medical examinations verified that the disease had not spread beyond the lung. [1][3][4]

The South China Morning Post and France 24 both noted that the operation was the first major health event of the pontiff's 17-month pontificate. As FTMQ World reported earlier, Pope Leo XIV underwent his operation at Gemelli Hospital in Rome and was able to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin from his hospital room during his recovery to request a humanitarian ceasefire in southern Ukraine. [1][2][4][11][12]

Pope Leo XIV was subsequently discharged from the hospital in Rome. Reuters reported that he has since taken to the popemobile for the first time following his surgery, marking a return to his public duties as head of the Catholic Church. [1][9][10]