Pope Leo XIV will not require further treatment for lung cancer after surgery successfully removed the cancerous tissue, the Vatican has said.

The Vatican press office disclosed this in a medical bulletin on Wednesday.

This followed the completion of tests on tissue removed during the pontiff’s surgery last week.

According to the bulletin, final histological reports and molecular biology analyses confirmed that the disease was a pulmonary adenocarcinoma and was localised.

“The results have confirmed that the condition was a pulmonary adenocarcinoma and that the disease was localized.

“A subsequent oncological evaluation has confirmed that no further therapy is required,” the bulletin stated.

Pulmonary adenocarcinoma is the most common type of lung cancer, accounting for about 40 per cent of cases.

It often affects non-smokers and can develop relatively slowly.

Leo announced on October 11 that he needed surgery for a lung nodule, prompting concern within and outside the Vatican.

Doctors subsequently removed the affected lobe of his left lung during a hospital stay in Rome.

He returned home on October 17.