Victor Davis Hanson offers lung cancer recovery update, unsure when he'll be 'back to near normal'

03 Feb 2026 By foxnews

Hoover Institution senior fellow Victor Davis Hanson offered a rare direct update on his health Monday following lung cancer surgery.

In December, Hanson, 72, a famed author, scholar and conservative commentator, announced he would have a significant procedure after an alarming biopsy. Although the surgery was a success, an arterial bleed developed, requiring a second operation and additional recovery time.

"As a result, over the last 30 days, I developed low red blood counts, fatigue, and bouts of arterial fibrillation. All that has sort of slowed my recovery," Hanson wrote on X.

VICTOR DAVIS HANSON RECOVERING AFTER PROCEDURE TO REMOVE CANCEROUS TUMOR

Hanson added that his bout of lung cancer has a "rare genetic/mutation profile" that tends to recur "about 40 percent of the time" with chemotherapy and immunotherapy largely ineffective in treating it.

However, he noted that they can offer "a 5-10% edge in stopping recurrence," and explained that he will do a cost-benefit analysis after some recovery to determine whether he will be receiving further treatment.

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Though he was uncertain about when he would return to "near normal," Hanson remained optimistic that he would come back "as soon as possible."

"The bottom line 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. In the meantime, I hope to post things now and then on days when I feel better," Hanson wrote.

His "Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words" co-host Jack Fowler previously provided an update on Hanson's health last month when he revealed the complications that developed during surgery.

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During last month's update, Fowler revealed that lymph nodes and peripheral samples around the tumor proved negative for malignancy and a preoperative full-body scan "did not show metastasis."

Hanson has penned a large volume of articles and books, including The New York Times bestseller "The Case for Trump." Hanson has also penned opinion pieces for Fox News Digital, including "When liberals play confederates. Portland's revolt against America," "Trump and Musk need to reconcile for the sake of America's future" and "Key questions about the Signal psychodrama."