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Pope Leo XIV's lung cancer and surgery

Overview · reviewed November 12, 2026

Pope Leo XIV, 71, had surgery at Rome's Gemelli hospital on October 13, 2026, to remove a mass from his lung that doctors found to be cancerous.[1] Surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung to try to ensure that all of the cancer was gone.[2] He left the hospital four days later, though questions continued about what the cancer means for his young pontificate.[1] On October 21, the Vatican said tests had confirmed a localized lung adenocarcinoma and that he needed no further treatment.[3]

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Surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung to try to ensure that all of the cancer was gone.[2] He left the hospital four days later, though questions continued about what the cancer means for his young pontificate.[1] On October 21, the Vatican said tests had confirmed a localized lung adenocarcinoma and that he needed no further treatment.[3]

Coverage over time

Share of tracked outlets · weekly (UTC)

Week of 2026-10-05 (UTC): 13%, 61 of 479 tracked outlets (11 left, 37 center, 13 right)Week of 2026-10-12 (UTC): 24%, 114 of 476 tracked outlets (29 left, 56 center, 29 right)Week of 2026-10-19 (UTC): 11%, 52 of 479 tracked outlets (9 left, 35 center, 8 right)Week of 2026-10-26 (UTC): 5%, 24 of 473 tracked outlets (7 left, 12 center, 5 right)Week of 2026-11-02 (UTC): 7%, 32 of 471 tracked outlets (6 left, 22 center, 4 right)Week of 2026-11-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outlets, so far

LeftCenterRightLighter bar: this week so far

Each bar is the share of the outlets on our Left / Center / Right rating scale that we tracked publishing that week which carried reporting on this story, split by the outlets' ratings. We track more outlets now than in the archive, so a share keeps earlier and later weeks comparable. An outlet counts once a week however much it published, and outlets in one ownership or syndication group count as one on each side they appear on. A rating describes the outlet, not the report. A gap means no such reports were collected that week, not that nothing was reported anywhere. Weeks run Monday to Sunday in UTC, so a report published on a Sunday evening in US Eastern time counts in the next week. 8 more outlets off the scale (not rated, or outside the left-right graphs) also reported; they are not in this chart. See them.

Weekly counts, outlets and reports (5 weeks with coverage)
Outlets on the rating scale that carried this story each week, of the outlets tracked that week, newest first
Week of (UTC)LeftCenterRightOf trackedShareReceipts
Nov 2, 2026622432 of 4717%
Oct 26, 2026712524 of 4735%
Oct 19, 2026935852 of 47911%
Oct 12, 2026295629114 of 47624%
Oct 5, 202611371361 of 47913%

Latest coverage

The newest reporting in this story's record.

  1. Nov 4, 2026 · first reported · Headline from Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

    Pope starts Latin America tour in Uruguay

Background

Leo announced the surgery himself. He said in October 2026 that doctors had detected a nodule on his lung "at a very early stage," and he revealed his plans over the weekend before the operation.[4][5] On Tuesday, October 13, he walked into Rome's Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic through the main entrance, waving to well-wishers. A team led by the hospital's chief thoracic surgeon removed the nodule that afternoon, and doctors determined that the mass was cancerous.[1] He had the lower section, or lobe, of his right lung removed to try to ensure that all of the cancer was removed.[2]

Read the full background (4 more paragraphs)

His recovery proceeded normally. His doctors said he was eating regularly, had begun walking and doing breathing exercises, and that his post-operative tests were normal.[1] His audiences were canceled through October 20, though he remained in charge of the papacy.[6] He asked for prayers in his first pontifical message since announcing the surgery, issued for a meeting marking the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis's text "Amoris Laetitia."[5] On October 16 the Vatican stopped its morning updates confirming that he had woken up and had breakfast, and it weighed whether he could appear for the Sunday prayer.[1] After returning to the Vatican, Leo led the Sunday Angelus prayer from his window on October 18, thanked hospital staff and said he would gradually resume his duties, and Vatican media cited his surgeon as saying there was no clinical reason he could not travel to Latin America.[7][8]

The diagnosis raised questions about the future of his pontificate, though Vatican watchers said it could also push him to accelerate his own agenda.[9] The Philadelphia Inquirer reported strong suggestions that he knew something before his September trip to France, where he prayed at the shrine in Lourdes and performed the "three gestures" of a pilgrim seeking a cure.[9]

His older brother, Louis Prevost, who lives in Florida, has multiple myeloma, Louis Prevost's wife told CBS News.[10] President Donald Trump offered the pope his "best wishes" and "love" the day after the diagnosis and said the pope's brother was a friend and a supporter of his.[11] Critics faulted Trump for moving quickly on to other matters after wishing the pope well.[12]

Leo returned to St. Peter's Square on October 21 for his first general audience since the surgery, greeting pilgrims from his open-air popemobile.[13] Two days later, the Vatican said he would not attend an international peace meeting in Assisi on October 27, after his doctors advised against the helicopter journey.[14] On October 26 the Vatican confirmed his November 6-17 trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru after doctors found no medical reason to cancel it,[15] and a top Vatican official said the diagnosis was "a bit of a game-changer" for the papacy.[16] He set out on the trip in early November, less than a month after the surgery, beginning in Uruguay.[17][18]

Supporting stories (18)
  1. Pope Leo released from hospital 4 days after lung cancer surgery, telling supporters he’s feeling ‘much better’
  2. What is adenocarcinoma? A doctor explains the lung cancer after Pope Leo's diagnosis
  3. Pope Leo needs no further lung cancer treatment, Vatican says
  4. Villanova president will hand out award in Italy as Pope Leo XIV undergoes lung surgery
  5. Pope Leo addresses absence, asks for prayers in first pontifical message since surgery announcement
  6. Who Runs the Catholic Church When the Pope Is Hospitalized?
  7. Pope Leo says he will gradually resume duties after lung cancer surgery
  8. Pope Leo leads Vatican prayer, thanks hospital staff
  9. Questions swirl about pope's future and what he knew when praying at a French shrine famed for cures
  10. Pope Leo XIV’s brother also has cancer: Report
  11. Trump sends Pope Leo ‘get well’ wishes following cancer diagnosis
  12. Trump ripped for reaction to Pope Leo cancer diagnosis: ‘Incapable of giving a s—t’
  13. Pope Leo returns to St. Peter’s Square, hold first audience since cancer surgery
  14. Pope Leo XIV cancels Assisi trip on doctors’ advice as he recovers from surgery
  15. Vatican confirms Pope Leo’s Latin America trip after post-surgery checkup
  16. Top Vatican official says Pope Leo's cancer is a ‘game-changer' for the papacy
  17. Pope Leo XIV begins 3-day South American visit in Uruguay less than a month after his lung surgery
  18. Pope Leo XIV Opens Latin America Tour in Uruguay's Secular Heartland After Cancer Surgery

The full record

Each date is when an update was first reported.

All 22 recorded updates

November 2026

  1. Pope Leo XIV Opens Latin America Tour in Uruguay's Secular Heartland After Cancer SurgeryHeadline from Latin Times · 30 outlets
  2. Pope Leo XIV begins 3-day South American visit in Uruguay less than a month after his lung surgeryHeadline from KOB 4 · 13 outlets

October 2026

  1. Top Vatican official says Pope Leo's cancer is a ‘game-changer' for the papacyHeadline from NBC Los Angeles · 9 outlets
  2. Vatican confirms Pope Leo’s Latin America trip after post-surgery checkupHeadline from MyNorthwest · 20 outlets
  3. Pope Leo XIV cancels Assisi trip on doctors’ advice as he recovers from surgeryHeadline from WTOP Washington DC · 17 outlets
  4. Pope Leo returns to St. Peter’s Square, hold first audience since cancer surgeryHeadline from New York Post · 4 outlets
  5. Pope Leo needs no further lung cancer treatment, Vatican saysHeadline from Local News 8 · 52 outlets
  6. Pope Leo XIV’s lung cancer highlights growing number of nonsmokers diagnosed with the disease – and younger people tooHeadline from WGN Chicago · 6 outlets
  7. Pope Leo leads Vatican prayer, thanks hospital staffHeadline from ABC News · 2 outlets
  8. Pope Leo says he will gradually resume duties after lung cancer surgeryHeadline from New York Post · 50 outlets
  9. Trump ripped for reaction to Pope Leo cancer diagnosis: ‘Incapable of giving a s—t’Headline from NJ.com / Star-Ledger · 4 outlets
  10. Questions swirl about pope's future and what he knew when praying at a French shrine famed for curesHeadline from Philadelphia Inquirer · 2 outlets
  11. What is adenocarcinoma? A doctor explains the lung cancer after Pope Leo's diagnosisHeadline from NBC Los Angeles · 3 outlets
  12. Trump sends Pope Leo ‘get well’ wishes following cancer diagnosisHeadline from America Magazine · 2 outlets
  13. Pope Leo recovering from surgery, will deliver Sunday prayerHeadline from Deutsche Welle · 3 outlets
  14. Pope Leo addresses absence, asks for prayers in first pontifical message since surgery announcementHeadline from Phl17 · 6 outlets
  15. Who Runs the Catholic Church When the Pope Is Hospitalized?Headline from Time · 2 outlets
  16. Diocese of Youngstown responds to Pope Leo XIV's cancer diagnosisHeadline from WKBN Youngstown · 1 outlet
  17. Pope Leo XIV’s brother also has cancer: ReportHeadline from Phl17 · 8 outlets
  18. Pope Leo Expected to Undergo Lung SurgeryHeadline from Independent Journal Review · 1 outlet
  19. Villanova president will hand out award in Italy as Pope Leo XIV undergoes lung surgeryHeadline from Philadelphia Inquirer · 1 outlet
  20. Pope Leo released from hospital 4 days after lung cancer surgery, telling supporters he’s feeling ‘much better’Headline from New York Post · 117 outlets

Coverage & sources

Read the reports, see how much was collected over time, or compare outlets by political leaning.

Coverage & sources →