Pope Leo diagnosed with lung cancer after undergoing surgery, Vatican says

Pope Leo XIV's surgery confirmed that he has lung cancer and he had the lower lobe of his right lung removed, the Vatican said Tuesday.

The tests confirmed a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, the Vatican said in a medical bulletin after the surgery. It said the diagnosis had been suspected by preoperative tests and was confirmed during surgery.

The 71-year-old pontiff was in the operating room for about 3 hours, the statement said. The surgery itself lasted approximately 90 minutes. "The surgery was successful, and there were no complications," the statement said.

"To ensure a radical resection, the lower lobe of the right lung was removed using a video-assisted technique," the Vatican said in a statement. "Intraoperative histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma, as suspected from pre-operative tests."

According to the Vatican, the Pope "regained consciousness normally" following the procedure and was then taken back to his room on the 10th floor of Rome's Gemelli hospital.   

Leo had walked into Gemelli hospital through the main entrance earlier in the day and waved to dozens of well-wishers who had gathered to greet him. The Vatican said the surgery was performed by a team led by Gemelli's chief thoracic surgeon, Dr. Stefano Margaritora.  

The Vatican on Monday canceled all Leo's audiences through Oct. 20. There was no word on whether Leo would be able to keep his planned trip to South America next month.

While Gemelli has a specific papal apartment that past popes have used, complete with a private chapel on the 10th floor, Leo will actually be staying in a nearby room since the papal apartment is undergoing renovations, according to the Vatican press office.

This is a breaking story and will be updated.