Pope Leo has lung cancer, the Vatican announces after surgery

Pope Leo XIV had surgery on Tuesday to remove a cancerous growth in his lung, the Vatican announced.

The surgery, performed at Gemelli Hospital in Rome, involved removing the lower lobe of the Pope's right lung, according to a statement by Leo's doctors released by the church. Lung tissue examined after the surgery confirmed a previous test that revealed a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, the Vatican said.

Adenocarcinoma of the lung is the most common form of lung cancer in the United States, representing about 40% of all lung cancers, according to the Lung Cancer Foundation of America.

The Pope's surgery, which the doctors said was successful, lasted about 90 minutes, after which Leo awoke normally and, following a brief period of observation, returned to his room on the hospital's 10th floor.

At 71 years old, Leo is relatively young for a pope – and remains physically active. He works out weekly, including regular tennis matches with his personal secretary and enjoys riding horses at Castel Gandolfo, the papal retreat.

Leo has not been known to smoke, but there is a history of cancer in the pope's family. On Tuesday, the Vatican announced that Leo's older brother Louis, who lives in Florida, is currently hospitalized with a form of cancer. And Leo's mother, Mildred, died of cancer in 1990 at age 77. Back in 1984, while living in Rome, the future pope wrote to several friends saying, "my mother continues to undergo chemotherapy treatments. … She's a tough lady and handles it all well, which makes it a little easier for me being so far from Chicago."