Doctors report improvement in Pope Leo XIV after lung cancer surgery

Pope Leo XIV’s recovery from lung cancer surgery continued to improve, according to a medical update reported Friday by The Korea Times. Further test results were pending to assess the cancer and whether he needed additional treatment.

The 71-year-old pope has resumed work at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, but his recovery leaves upcoming public appearances and a planned November trip uncertain. The outstanding tests will help determine whether the cancer extended beyond the removed lung lobe.

Leo underwent surgery Tuesday to remove his right lung’s lower lobe after doctors identified a nodule suspected of being cancerous, The Korea Times reported. The operation confirmed adenocarcinoma, which the report described as the most common form of lung cancer.

The medical bulletin bore the signatures of Dr. Luigi Carbone, the pope’s personal physician, and Dr. Stefano Margaritora, who heads thoracic surgery at Gemelli. It said Leo could manage daily activities without assistance. He continued respiratory physiotherapy and had celebrated Mass and given Communion in a hospital chapel.

Additional tests were examining the cancer’s genetic and molecular features, whether it had spread outside the removed lobe and whether further treatment would be necessary, according to the newspaper.

Leo met his chief of staff Thursday while working from his hospital room. The Vatican also ended its routine morning bulletins reporting that he was awake and had eaten breakfast.

The Vatican released the names of journalists accredited for Leo’s planned Nov. 6-17 visit to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, though his participation remained uncertain. Staff also prepared for a possible broadcast of Sunday’s Angelus prayer from the hospital. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, said an appearance would depend on the pope’s recovery, according to The Korea Times, which cited LaPresse and ANSA.

The Vatican also shared get-well messages from patients in Gemelli’s pediatric oncology ward, including a note from Angelo, 7, who wrote that he and his mother prayed for the pope each night.