Pope Leo XIV underwent additional diagnostic testing and began a course of respiratory physical therapy on Oct. 14, the day following the procedure that removed the lower lobe of his right lung.

Physicians overseeing the pope's care told reporters on Wednesday that recovery from lung cancer surgery was proceeding as expected, with the patient completing brief walks around his room. The statement marked the Vatican's first public medical communication since the diagnosis became publicly known the night before. That same morning, a blood draw and chest X-ray, both built into the post-operative protocol, had been conducted as planned.

A joint statement from the pope's surgeon, Dr. Stefano Margaritora, and his personal physician, Dr. Luigi Carbone, indicated that postoperative measurements had come back within the expected range for the procedure carried out, and that the pope had since begun moving around his room and was receiving respiratory physical therapy. Food was back on the table for him, with both a morning meal and midday meal consumed.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told reporters that Pope Leo was in positive spirits the day after the procedure, adding that the recovery was unfolding on schedule.

Prior to the October 13 procedure, Pope Leo had undergone a series of preparatory diagnostic steps — a robotic bronchoscopy with tissue sampling, a contrast-enhanced chest CT, and a PET scan — all of which pointed toward the need for surgery, Bruni told reporters.

On Oct. 13, Pope Leo underwent lung surgery at Gemelli Hospital, two days after he had disclosed that routine medical examinations had turned up a nodule in his lung — one caught at an early stage and confined to a limited area. Laboratory analysis of the excised tissue is expected to take place over the next several days, Vatican News reported.

When asked how long it might take to learn whether cancer persists beyond the tissue removed during the pope's operation, Bruni indicated that questions about medical timelines would need to be directed to a physician. Doctors who spoke to a broadcast outlet noted that examining the pope's lymph nodes could help determine what treatment path to pursue, with timelines varying from five days to as long as fifteen depending on the circumstances involved.

A cardiothoracic surgery professor at St. Louis University School of Medicine and lung cancer screening medical director at SSM Health, identified as Veeramachaneni and with no involvement in the pope's treatment, told a television news outlet that biopsy findings generally take around a week to come back in full.

Dated Oct. 14, the Vatican's communication marked the first time medical personnel had addressed the pope's health publicly since the operation concluded, when physicians reported that tissue analysis had confirmed a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma — an outcome the pre-surgical assessments had already pointed toward.

Among lung cancer diagnoses recorded in the United States, the glandular cell variety — known medically as adenocarcinoma — accounts for a greater share of cases than any other type. Data from the Lung Cancer Foundation of America place this cancer type at roughly four in every ten lung cancer diagnoses.

Of the three lobes that together form the right lung, the one at the bottom — extracted from Pope Leo during surgery — accounts for the greatest volume. Nestled toward the back and base of the right side of the chest, this lobe handles around 30% of the lungs' total air-holding capacity — a share greater than any other lobe — a figure the Baylor College of Medicine attributes to its position as the largest of the five lobes.

Doctors anticipate keeping Pope Leo at Rome's Gemelli Hospital for a minimum of seven days while he recuperates from his operation. Audiences on the pope's calendar have been put on hold by the Vatican, with the suspension running through October 20.

No updates to the pope's hospital timeline or the planned Latin American visit running Nov. 6–17 were available to announce, Bruni indicated. A planned trip to Peru by Pope Leo XIV was described as still on course, with no change to the itinerary as previously outlined. An itinerary released ahead of the November journey — taking in Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, with portions of the route winding through high Andean terrain — put the total distance at upward of 19,000 miles spread across 14 separate flights over the course of 12 days.

Peru's president conveyed that the country had received word of the pontiff's diagnosis with considerable sorrow, calling on God to watch over him, restore his strength, and bring about his recovery — adding, in a direct address to the pope, that the land he has long considered a home holds him in deep affection. In a written message, she noted that the prayers now being offered for the recipient mirrored the support that person had extended to her on so many previous occasions.