Pope Leo XIV has been diagnosed with lung cancer following a scheduled surgery, the Vatican announced Tuesday. Surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung, and examination of the tissue confirmed lung adenocarcinoma, a diagnosis doctors had already suspected based on pre-surgery testing, according to the Holy See Press Office.
The pope reportedly does not smoke and has no known history of smoking, a detail that has drawn attention to a type of cancer long associated with cigarette use. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 80% of lung cancer deaths are tied to smoking. But lung adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer in the United States, is also the type most frequently seen in people who have never smoked, according to the Lung Cancer Foundation of America.
Dr. Lary Robinson, an oncologist at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, told Fox News Digital he was struck by the news, since the nodule found in the pope’s lung was “felt to be malignant.” Robinson has not treated the pope.
He noted that while roughly 80% of lung cancers occur in current or former smokers, the disease still shows up in an estimated 10% of male never-smokers and 25% of female never-smokers.
“But [the pope] had surgery and had a lobectomy, so this is usually only done with people who have localized disease, and presumably he had localized disease. And hopefully that’s a stage 1 cancer,” Robinson said.
If the cancer turns out to be stage 1, Robinson said there’s a “high chance” of cure — about 90%, depending on the tumor’s size. Going straight to surgery suggests doctors likely found no sign the cancer had spread, he said, though full pathology results will determine whether further treatment is needed.
“Size matters in lung nodules and lung cancer — the larger the cancer, the worse outlook it is, because it’s more likely to be advanced and have spread,” Robinson said.
Not Just a Smoker’s Disease
Family history and genetic predisposition can also drive lung cancer risk. Research published in the journal Science found that a rare mutation in the gene EGFR T790M raised lung cancer risk 25 times compared with people without it. Among people who had never smoked, carriers of the mutation had about 62 times the odds of developing lung cancer compared with never-smokers without the mutation.
Robinson said pipe and cigar smoking, along with heavy marijuana use, can also raise risk. So can exposure to environmental toxins such as diesel exhaust and radon.
“Unfortunately, probably over half of the people who are never-smokers with lung cancer come into stage 4 disease,” Robinson said. “And that’s higher than people who are smokers or former smokers, so they start out at a worse stage in general.”
Early-stage lung cancer typically produces no symptoms, Robinson said. When symptoms do appear, they most often involve a persistent cough, shortness of breath or coughing up blood. Unexplained weight loss can signal any form of cancer, and persistent headaches may point to neurological involvement worth a doctor’s attention.
Who Should Get Screened
Lung cancer is rare in younger adults, which is why annual CT screening is generally recommended starting at age 50 for people considered high risk — current smokers with at least a 20 pack-year history, and former smokers who quit within the past 15 years.
“Only about 15% of the people who are eligible get screened, unfortunately,” Robinson said.
Robinson said he expects screening to become simpler in coming years. “I’m hoping that within four or five years, a screening CT scan will only be confirmatory after they have a positive blood test done at your doctor’s office,” he said, adding that such a shift could make screening more accessible and help catch more cases earlier.
