Pope Leo's brother also battling cancer, wife tells CBS News
Louis Prevost, Pope Leo XIV's older brother who lives in Florida, has multiple myeloma, his wife told CBS News on Tuesday.
Key points
- Louis Prevost, Pope Leo XIV's older brother, has multiple myeloma, his wife told CBS News.
- Louis was first diagnosed in 2017 and fell out of remission three months ago.
- Pope Leo XIV, 71, was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma after surgery on Tuesday.
Louis Prevost, the older brother of Pope Leo XIV, is being treated for multiple myeloma, his wife Deborah Prevost told CBS News on Tuesday. The disclosure came the same day the Vatican announced that the pope, 71, has lung cancer.
Deborah Prevost said her husband, who lives in Florida, is in a clinical trial at a local hospital. She did not say what stage his cancer is in.
Louis Prevost's treatment history
According to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, multiple myeloma is a cancer that affects plasma cells. Deborah Prevost said Louis was first diagnosed in 2017 and kept the disease at a very low level after treatment in 2019 that included stem cell treatment and a clinical trial. She said he fell out of remission three months ago.
Deborah said she could not comment on the specifics of Pope Leo's condition. She said the brothers spoke last week before Louis began his clinical trial, and that the family was going through a lot but was hopeful the pope's cancer was in the very early stages. She said she had not heard about any potential radiation or chemotherapy for the pope.
We keep praying, keeping spirits up for both of them.
— Deborah Prevost
Pope Leo's diagnosis
The Vatican said Pope Leo underwent surgery Tuesday that confirmed he has lung adenocarcinoma. It did not disclose the stage of the cancer or whether it had spread, and did not detail further procedures or treatment he may undergo.
Pope Leo is the first U.S.-born leader of the Catholic Church. He grew up with his two older siblings, Louis and John, in the Chicago area. In a May 2025 CBS News interview after Cardinal Robert Prevost was chosen as pope, Louis said the family knew from a very young age that there was something special about Rob, and that he would always be Rob.
