Pope Leo XIV will not need further treatment following lung cancer surgery, his doctors said Wednesday.
The Vatican’s press office said in an update from the pope’s doctors that final reports and analyses of tissue removed from his surgery were completed Wednesday.
Pope Leo rides popemobile for first time since surgery
“The results have confirmed that the condition was a pulmonary adenocarcinoma and that the disease was localized,” said his doctors, Dr. Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora.
“A subsequent oncological evaluation has confirmed that no further therapy is required,” the statement said.
Leo, 71, had surgery this month at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital to remove a lung nodule found during recent routine medical tests. Leo said the nodule was detected “at a very early stage.”
He was discharged Saturday and returned to his public duties Sunday with a prayer from the window of the papal apartment at St. Peter’s Basilica.
“This experience has made me feel particularly close to all those who are experiencing illness and a condition of frailty,” he said, thanking well-wishers.
“Having come through this delicate phase, as you know, I will now gradually resume my activities, always with God’s help and your prayers,” he said.
The pope’s diagnosis and surgery left his upcoming trip to South America up in the air. He is still scheduled to depart Nov. 6 for the 12-day journey to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.
The trip will be a demanding one, covering 19,000 miles on multiple flights and two helicopter rides. His itinerary includes a stopover in Cuzco in the Peruvian Andes, which is at an elevation of 11,000 feet.
Peru is a special place for Leo, where he was bishop of Chiclayo and holds citizenship.
The pope’s surgeon, Margaritora, told Vatican News on Saturday that recovery from Leo’s type of surgery typically takes a couple of weeks.
“As for a long trip involving air travel in about three weeks, I would say there are no clinical reasons why it should not take place,” Margaritora said.
