Pope Leo XIV received good news from his doctors: The pontiff will not need further treatment for lung cancer after follow-up tests confirmed the disease was localized, the Vatican said in a statement 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. Surgery confirmed he had adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer. Leo was discharged from Rome’s Gemelli Polyclinic on Saturday, four days after surgery, and said he would gradually resume his activities. The pope’s personal physician, Dr. Luigi Carbone, and his surgeon, Dr. Stefano Margaritora, said in a statement that the results of final postoperative tests on tissue removed during the pope’s surgery confirmed the diagnosis and that the cancer had not spread. “Subsequent oncological evaluation confirmed that no further treatment is necessary,” the doctors said. Pope had the lower section, or lobe, of his right lung removed to try to ensure that all of the cancer was removed. In such cases, additional treatment is offered if follow-up tests find signs that the cancer has spread, such as through lymph nodes, or if it has other signs that it might be particularly aggressive. Surgery can often be enough when tumors are detected very early, such as when someone has an X-ray or other scan that shows a spot long before it is large or causes symptoms. Get daily national news Get daily Canadian news delivered to your inbox so you never miss the day’s top stories. The Pope appears to have had one of those “incidental findings,” a nodule in his lung detected during another examination. 1:57 Pope’s lung cancer diagnosis spurs greater awareness say advocates 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 experienced any symptoms. More on the world More videos Story continues below ad “The statements suggest that this is a stage I lung cancer for which surgery is highly effective and is expected to be curative,” said Dr. Stephen Liu, a lung cancer expert at Georgetown’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. He said the lack of further treatment suggested the cancer was relatively small and had not spread to the lymph nodes. The pope conducted business while in the hospital, including a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and 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 the longest Wednesday audience in the square, greeting faithful from around the world. “Thank you! Thank you for the support of your prayers,” Leo said during the hearing. His next big commitment is an ambitious trip from November 6 to 17 to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. Margaritora told Vatican News there was “no clinical reason” to prevent the trip, which includes a dozen flights, two helicopter rides and high-altitude stops. The pope had revealed that a nodule would be surgically removed during the traditional Sunday blessing on Oct. 11, in an unusually transparent revelation broadcast on live television that broke the tradition of secrecy surrounding papal health issues. AP medical writer Lauran Neergaard contributed to this. report. © 2026 The Canadian Press