Pope Leo XIV will not undergo immunotherapy, Vatican sources say
Reports by GloboNews and Estadão denied. The doctors' 21 October statement stands: localized disease, "no further therapy is necessary"
Pope Leo XIV will not undergo immunotherapy, Vatican sources said, as reported today, 25 October, by Adnkronos and Tgcom24, denying reports that circulated in recent hours.
The denial. According to the Vatican sources quoted by the two outlets, "the disease was localized" (our translation) and the Pope needs no further therapy after the removal of the tumour. This denies the Brazilian press reports: on 23 October GloboNews/G1 and Estadão/UOL had reported preventive immunotherapy for at least three years.
The 21 October statement stands. The denial confirms the doctors' statement by Luigi Carbone and Stefano Margaritora on the final histology: the results "confirmed that it was a pulmonary adenocarcinoma and that the disease was localized. A subsequent oncological evaluation confirmed that no further therapy is necessary" (our translation) (Vatican News).
Background. The Pope underwent surgery on 13 October at the Gemelli Hospital (right lower lobectomy) and returned to the Vatican on the 17th. On 23 October doctors advised him, as a precaution, against the helicopter trip to Assisi on 27 October. This morning he recited the Angelus in St Peter's Square. The full timeline is in our overview of the Pope's health.
Sources: Adnkronos, 25 October · Tgcom24, 25 October · doctors' statement, 21 October
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Source: Adnkronos / Tgcom24