Louis Prevost, 74 years old and elder brother of Pope Leo XIV, is receiving treatment at a hospital in Florida for a relapse of multiple myeloma, as confirmed by his wife, Deborah Prevost, to the network CBS News.
The news was announced on the same day that the Vatican declared that Pope Leo XIV had successfully undergone surgery in Rome for a malignant tumor in the lung.
The coincidence of both cancer cases in the same family, revealed within hours, has placed the Prevost siblings at the center of global attention. The Pope's pulmonary adenocarcinoma and Louis's multiple myeloma, however, are two distinct types of cancer.
A relapse after years of remission
Louis Prevost has been battling multiple myeloma for nearly a decade, diagnosed in 2017.
Two years later, he underwent a treatment that included stem cell therapy and participation in a clinical trial, which kept the disease at very low levels for several years.
The referral, however, was not definitive.
According to what Deborah shared with CBS News, the disease stopped being in remission about three months ago. She is currently participating in a new clinical trial at a hospital near her home in Port Charlotte, in southwestern Florida.
Deborah did not specify the stage of her husband's illness nor did she identify the hospital where he is receiving treatment.
"Going through a lot"
Louis's wife described the family moment with words full of emotion.
“We continue praying and we keep our spirits up for both of them,” she stated in reference to her husband as well as the Pope.
He also acknowledged that the Prevosts are “going through a lot,” and expressed his hope that the pope's cancer is in a very early stage.
The two brothers spoke on the phone the week before the Pope's operation, before Louis attended a session of his clinical trial.
Deborah also clarified that she has not heard of any radiation therapy or chemotherapy for the Pontiff.
The Pope has successfully undergone surgery in Rome
This Tuesday, León XIV was admitted to the Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic in Rome for the removal of a pulmonary nodule that he himself had announced on Sunday, October 11, during the Angelus prayer.
"The doctors have detected a nodule located in my lung. It has been found at a very early stage and is well-defined," he said then.
The surgical team removed the lower lobe of the right lung using a video-assisted technique in a procedure that lasted about 90 minutes and concluded without complications.
The intraoperative histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer, and the one with the best prognosis when detected at an early stage.
Uncertainty about the next steps
The Vatican described the surgery as successful, but the official statement did not specify the stage of the tumor or whether the pope will require additional treatments.
A Vatican source indicated to the agency AFP that additional postoperative tests were being conducted.
All of the Pontiff's audiences have been canceled until October 20, and he is expected to remain hospitalized for approximately one week.
Louis, Robert Francis—now León XIV—and his brother John grew up in Dolton, Illinois, a suburb south of Chicago.
Robert Francis was elected Pope on May 8, 2025, becoming the first Pontiff born in the United States.
Louis, the oldest of the three, served in the United States Navy.
While the Pope recovers at Gemelli and his brother continues his clinical trial in Florida, the future of Pope León XIV's pastoral tour of Latin America—Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru—scheduled for November 6 to 17, 2026, remains uncertain, and it has not yet been officially canceled.
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