On Tuesday, October 12, 2026, Pope Leo XIV was diagnosed with a type of lung cancer called adenocarcinoma. He underwent surgery on the same day and had the lower lobe of his right lung removed. While there has been mixed commentary on the progress of the pontiff, the Vatican and the doctors who performed the operation predict a steady recovery before the Pope embarks on his week-long visit to Peru in early November.
Adenocarcinoma is the most common type of cancer involving human organs, making up 40-45% of all types of lung cancers. Typically, this type of cancer is fatal due to a discovery of it in later stages, but on Sunday, October 11, in his Sunday Angelus prayer, the Pope announced that his doctors had fortunately found a small nodule, (a growth of abnormal tissue) in his lungs during a medical examination. While the main cause of this disease is smoking, the Pope is not known to use tobacco. However, another cause of adenocarcinoma is family history, and after conducting research into the Pope’s, CNN states that the pontiff’s brother was treated for cancer diagnosed in 2017, and both his mother and father passed due to cancer in the 1990s.
Despite the gruesome outlook on cancer, the Pope is making progress in his recovery following his surgery, and his doctors are confident that the cancer has been fully removed. Regarding his planned outing to Latin America next month, Peru’s president Keiko Fujimori said in an interview on Peruvian television that the country is praying for the Pope’s quick recovery. At only 71 years old, the Pope is relatively young, and is said to be active in exercising throughout his life.
Although a constant challenge in the medical field, the Pope’s diagnosis has brought a newfound spotlight on adenocarcinoma and cancer as a whole. It reminds us that cancer can happen to anyone, in spite of consistent exercise and a regulated diet, and that we cannot take time for granted. For the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, the world is wishing for a speedy and efficient recovery.