Historian and conservative political commentator Victor Davis Hanson shared an update on his health on social media, saying his recovery from a serious medical condition has been "slowed" by unexpected complications.
In a Monday morning post on X, Hanson, 72, began with encouraging news, saying surgeons successfully removed a "cancerous lung mucinous adenoma carcinoma" along with the lower right lobe of his lung in early January.
But Hanson said his recovery has been "slowed" by a post-operative aneurysm that required additional time under anesthesia and "about 5 blood transfusions."
"As a result, over the last 30 days, I developed low red blood counts, fatigue, and bouts of arterial fibrillation," he wrote. "All that has sort of slowed my recovery."
Hanson also offered more detail about his diagnosis, saying "this type of nonsmoker's lung cancer has a rare genetic/mutation profile" and can recur roughly 40% of the time even after successful surgery.
He added that the "removed and biopsied lymph nodes" as well as "adjacent vascular/pleural samples" all came back negative for cancer.
"And the pre-op PET scan shows no signs of malignancy outside the lower right lung lobe," Hanson wrote.
He said he is weighing whether to begin chemotherapy and immunotherapy, which, he said, provides a 5%-10% "edge" in preventing recurrences.
"I'll do a cost-benefit analysis, depending on how quickly I regain energy, to determine whether to start the preventative drug regimens," Hanson said.
"The bottom line," Hanson told his followers, "is that I'm hoping to come back as soon as possible."
"But I don't know exactly when I'll be back to near normal," he said. "In the meantime, I hope to post things now and then on days when I feel better."
Hanson also thanked his readers and listeners for their "wonderful expressions of concern and reassurance" during his absence.
The update follows Hanson's announcement in December that he was stepping away from his show after suffering a "serious" health problem.
He did not disclose at the time that he was battling lung cancer but later shared that detail in mid-January, saying he was "recovering" well from surgery.
A familiar voice to many viewers, Hanson has been a fixture in conservative media for years and has appeared numerous times on Newsmax.
He has also been a prominent supporter of President Donald Trump, once describing him as the outsider America needed after "decades of drift." Hanson authored "The Case for Trump" in 2019.
He has frequently criticized Democrats and liberal policies, telling Mark Levin in 2022 that the country was experiencing an outbreak of "craziness" during then-President Joe Biden's presidency.
"We're in a revolutionary situation," Hanson said at the time. "It's out to destroy a particular person: Donald Trump."
Hanson joined The Daily Signal in January 2025 and serves as a senior fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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