Pope Leo XIV to leave hospital after right lung cancer surgery
What's next: He is set to lead prayers from his Vatican apartment on Oct. 18 in his first public engagement since the operation.
Pope Leo XIV is expected to leave Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Oct. 17 after surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung following a lung cancer diagnosis, the Vatican said. Doctors said blood tests and chest imaging showed he was fit to return home and that his condition had steadily improved after the 90-minute operation on Oct. 13. The 71-year-old pontiff was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer. The Vatican has not disclosed the size of the tumor or whether it had spread to nearby lymph nodes. Leo is due to lead prayers from his apartment overlooking St. Peter's Square on Oct. 18.