Pope Leo XIV's lung cancer highlights growing number of nonsmokers diagnosed with the disease—and younger people too

In recent years, lung cancer has become increasingly common among women, never smokers, and younger individuals. The disease is now the leading cause of cancer death among women, claiming more lives than breast, ovarian, and colorectal cancer combined. Despite this growing trend, current lung cancer screening guidelines do not include women who have never smoked, often leading to delayed diagnoses.

Pope Leo XIV, who was not a smoker, had his lung nodule removed surgically, highlighting the importance of early detection and treatment regardless of smoking history. Potential causes for lung cancer include environmental exposures and genetics, with women being more susceptible to tobacco carcinogens and having a higher risk of certain types of lung cancer due to the filters in cigarettes.

Risk factors also include a family history of cancer, exposure to asbestos, radon, and air pollution, as well as potential risks from e-cigarette and marijuana smoke. Researchers are working to identify genetic susceptibility genes and understand how lung cancer develops, which could lead to new biomarkers for early detection. Lung cancer screening guidelines have been updated to include younger patients with less smoking history, aiming to increase the number of eligible individuals by 40%.

Women diagnosed with lung cancer tend to have a better prognosis than men, particularly if they never smoked and have tumors with treatable molecular changes.