Pope does not need further treatment after lung cancer surgery

Pope Leo XIV does not need any further treatment after an operation to remove a cancerous expansion from his lung, his doctors have noted.

Key points

• The surgery, which took place on 13 October and lasted for 90 minutes, included the removal of the lower lobe of the Pope's right lung.
• The pontiff had a similar phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday.
• Those close to the Pope have additionally previously stated he was keen not to delay a trip to Latin America which is planned for early November.
• Images shared days after his operation, on Friday, indicated the Pope celebrating Mass from the hospital wearing green vestments and standing behind a makeshift altar.
• It comes as he held his first weekly general audience since leaving hospital at St Peter's Square on Wednesday.

As was initially diagnosed, and that the disease was localised, according to a statement shared by the Vatican, test results on tissue removed during surgery confirmed he had had a lung adenocarcinoma.

"A subsequent oncological assessment has confirmed that no further treatment is necessary, " it continued.

For context, the 71-year-old was discharged from Rome's Gemelli Hospital over the weekend four days after his operation – stopping to speak to well-wishers as he left the grounds.

Meanwhile, the surgery, which took place on 13 October and lasted for 90 minutes, included the removal of the lower lobe of the Pope's right lung.

Notably, the pontiff himself had confirmed during his weekly Sunday prayers that he would be having the procedure – telling those gathered in St Peter's Square that doctors had identified a nodule on his lung.

He remarked at the time that it had been caught "at an early stage".

On the same day, the Vatican remarked he spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the phone to urge a ceasefire in the blockaded Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky to allow the delivery of food aid, and to call for "dialogue and peace".

Meanwhile, the pontiff had a similar phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday.

In short, pope does not need further treatment after lung cancer surgery is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.