How Do Risk Factors and Genomic Advances Impact Lung Cancer Detection?

In a special edition of Oncology On the Go, CancerNetwork^® joined Chinmay Jani, MD, in the studio to discuss key insights across different hot topics in the thoracic oncology field. He spoke about risk factors for lung cancer beyond smoking based on recent news regarding Pope Leo XIV, how the disease impacts younger populations, and what novel findings suggest about the role that comprehensive molecular testing can play to improve precision medicine.

In October 2026, the Vatican announced that Pope Leo XIV had undergone a right lower lobectomy to remove a lung nodule confirmed to be lung adenocarcinoma, despite a lack of smoking history.¹ Later in the month, a subsequent oncological evaluation suggested that no further treatment was necessary for him.² According to Jani, this development illustrates a need to change the historical paradigm and stigma equating lung cancer solely with tobacco use. He also noted that these events demonstrate the value of early detection through screening to help prevent the need for systemic therapy beyond surgery.

Jani also described findings from a study that he and colleagues published in eClinicalMedicine showing the contribution of factors including air pollution and asbestos to lung cancer mortality.³ Additionally, he reviewed research presented at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting examining global and US trends in lung cancer among young adults, especially those who have never smoked.⁴

On top of research dedicated to non-tobacco risk factors, research that Jani and colleagues presented at the IASLC 2026 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) showed that younger patients who have never smoked more frequently harbor specific, potentially targetable genetic alterations, including mutations and gene fusions.⁵ These data point to the increasingly targeted nature of the therapeutic landscape for lung cancer, as clinicians have shifted from general chemotherapy to several specific combination and targeted regimens, such as tyrosine kinase inhibitors for ALK- or EGFR-mutated disease.

“For the general population, I would like to deliver one message: lung cancer is no [longer] smoking associated or tobacco associated. There are various other risk factors being associated with lung cancer, and beyond that, there are many lung cancers being diagnosed without any of these risk factors,” Jani concluded. “[The] earlier a cancer is diagnosed, the higher the chances of cure, and that's what oncology is working on: to make lung cancer curable in future.”

Jani is a medical oncologist at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

References

1. Burke D, Detrow S. Pope Leo has lung cancer, the Vatican announces after surgery. NPR. October 13, 2026. Accessed October 27, 2026. https://tinyurl.com/274jb6hh
2. Neergaard L. Tests show Pope Leo XIV won’t need further treatment for lung cancer, Vatican says. AP. October 22, 2026. Accessed October 27, 2026. https://tinyurl.com/tvyc2uem
3. Jani CT, Kareff SA, Morgenstern-Kaplan D, et al. Evolving trends in lung cancer risk factors in the ten most populous countries: an analysis of data from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease Study. EClinicalMedicine. 2025;79:103033. doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.103033
4. Jani RT, Edwards K, Rauf A, Rodriguez E, Lopes G, Jani C. Lung cancer burden in AYAs: global and U.S trends. J Clin Oncol. 2026;44(suppl 16):8603. doi:10.1200/JCO.2026.44.16_suppl.8603
5. Lung cancer may develop differently in young adults. News release. University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. August 19, 2026. Accessed October 27, 2026. https://tinyurl.com/yra7jvea