Kathy Griffin to undergo lung cancer surgery 'even though I've never smoked'

American comedian Kathy Griffin said on Monday that she had been diagnosed with lung cancer though she has never been a smoker.

Griffin, 60, said in social media postings that she would undergo surgery to remove part of a lung, and that doctors were optimistic about the outcome.

“I have cancer. I'm about to go into surgery to have half of my left lung removed. Yes, I have lung cancer even though I've never smoked!” Griffin wrote.

“The doctors are very optimistic as it is stage one and contained to my left lung,” she added.

Griffin, a two-time Emmy winner, has been out of the spotlight since 2017, when she lost jobs and sponsorships after posing with a fake severed head depicting then-US President Donald Trump in what was intended to be a joke.

The Secret Service opened an investigation into the incident but no legal action was taken against Griffin. 

Reuters