Pope Leo health: Pope Leo XIV resumes regular diet, celebrates Mass in hospital as doctor shares latest update on lung cancer recovery

Pope Leo XIV resumed his regular diet, began walking and celebrated Mass in the hospital on Wednesday as he recovered from surgery to remove a cancerous mass from his lung, the Vatican said. Questions remained about whether the cancer had spread, while Peru’s president suggested Leo might have to alter his planned visit to Latin America next month. Blood tests and a chest X-ray showed the 71-year-old pope was recovering normally, his two doctors said.

The Holy Father underwent respiratory physiotherapy and has begun walking in his room. He resumed his regular diet and had breakfast and lunch, said Dr. Luigi Carbone, the pope’s personal doctor, and Dr. Stefano Margaritora, the head thoracic surgeon at Gemelli hospital. "Recovery is proceeding as planned," the bulletin reads.

Pope Leo Lung Cancer


Pope Leo's surgery on Tuesday confirmed that Leo has lung adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer. Surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung. The right lung has three lobes and the left has two. After one lobe is removed, the remaining lung tissue can gradually compensate, especially in otherwise healthy, physically active people. Leo is known for his interest in sports, including weekly tennis games and swimming.

The Vatican said late on Wednesday that the pope had celebrated Mass with his secretaries in the afternoon in a special chapel set up for him on the 10th floor of the hospital.

Experts said some of Leo’s lymph nodes would also have been removed and tested to determine whether the cancer had spread. Those results have not so far been made public.

If the cancer has spread, test results will guide treatment, said Dr. Stephen Liu, a lung cancer expert at Georgetown’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. Options include chemotherapy, a combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy, or targeted therapy, which uses pills to treat cancers with specific characteristics.

Liu, who is not involved in the pope’s care, said that, of the different types of lung cancers, adenocarcinoma has the most favorable prognosis.

“While we know the diagnosis, we now need to know the stage,” Liu said. “We now need to know how big it is, how many spots in the lung are involved. Is it just one nodule, or more than one, and the lymph nodes, are they cancerous?”

Dr. PierCarlo Gentile, head of radiation oncology at Rome’s San Pietro Fatebenefratelli Hospital, said the minimally invasive, video-assisted chest surgery the pope underwent typically requires 15 to 20 days of recovery. Postoperative complications, including infections, are rare, he said.

Can Pope Leo Fly Now?

The Vatican hasn't announced any changes to Leo’s planned trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru on November 6-17. Oncology surgeons often advise patients not to fly for three weeks after surgery.

"If it is Stage 1, he can complete these trips. If more treatment is needed, I would likely advise against the trips,” said Liu.

The pontiff has offered a rare degree of transparency about the first publicly disclosed major health problem of his 17-month papacy. He revealed the discovery of a nodule, or growth, on his lung during his Sunday noon prayer, announcing it on live television. But Leo did not disclose everything he knew Sunday.