Pope Leo’s diagnosis highlights rising lung cancer among people who never smoked

What the report says

Uganda Business News reports that news of Pope Leo XIV’s lung cancer diagnosis on 13 October 2026 has drawn attention to a wider public health trend: more women, younger people and people who have never smoked are being diagnosed with lung cancer. The article says Leo is reportedly not a smoker and notes that his case has prompted discussion about how the disease is no longer confined to the older male smokers many people still picture.

The piece, written by an oncologist and republished from The Conversation, says lung cancer rates have risen among women over recent decades while falling among men, and that the disease is now the leading cause of cancer death among women. It also says a growing share of patients have no smoking history, which can make diagnosis slower because neither patients nor doctors may suspect lung cancer early.

The article outlines several possible contributors beyond smoking, including radon, air pollution, second-hand smoke, workplace carcinogens and inherited genetic risk. It also points to screening challenges, saying people who never smoked are generally not included in standard lung cancer screening guidelines, so tumors are often found only by chance.

The report adds that earlier detection and modern treatments can improve outcomes, especially when cancer is found at an early stage. It presents the pope’s diagnosis as a reminder that lung cancer prevention and screening discussions need to account for broader risk factors, not smoking alone.