Lung cancer, which continues to kill almost 9,000 Australian lives per year, is the country’s cancer. With a grim five-year survival rate of just 26 percent, the need for early detection has become increasingly dire. In reply, a new national lung cancer screening program will begin next month, aimed at people with deep smoking backgrounds. This initiative aims to increase diagnosis of an additional 1,500 lung cancers annually. It aims to prevent 12,000 deaths during its first ten years.
The national launch of this vital screening program couldn’t have come at a more critical time as misconceptions about lung cancer still run rampant. A recent survey commissioned by the Lung Foundation revealed that this misconception runs deep. More than one in three respondents believe getting a diagnosis of lung cancer is a result of personal failure. This stigma fosters an atmosphere of misinformation related to the disease. Consequently, there are currently more women dying of lung cancer than breast cancer and more men dying of lung cancer than prostate cancer. Even more alarmingly, a full third of all lung cancer diagnoses aren’t associated with smoking at all.
The New Screening Program
The new lung cancer screening initiative will target people who are at highest risk due to a long smoking history. Professor Shalini Vinod emphasized that while the current eligibility criteria focus on smokers, there is hope for broader access in the future.
“It doesn’t mean we don’t care about those who don’t smoke, but I think we have to get started somewhere.” – Professor Shalini Vinod
According to Mark Brooke, a central figure in the program’s [development](https://www.scat.org/#pt-program)—and subsequent [scalability](https://www.scat.org/scale)—it all starts with knowing your audience. Our primary audience is people who grew up when smoking was everywhere. All of these people are now in their 50s to 70s. Their earlier lifestyle choices put them at greater risk of getting lung cancer in the first place.
“Growing up in the 70s and 80s, when smoking rates in Australia were up around 60 percent … [these people will] be in their 50s and 70s as this program is introduced.” – Mark Brooke
The alarming fact is that patients continue to present with advanced stage of the disease and that’s what the program aims to tackle. Professor Vinod noted that approximately half of those diagnosed with lung cancer do so at a time when the disease is incurable.
“When patients are diagnosed, about half of them will present with advanced disease … and that means the lung cancer is incurable and survival is poor.” – Professor Shalini Vinod
Anne Fidler’s Story
Anne Fidler’s story is a hopeful but sobering tale that reminds us how crucial early detection can be. In early 2021, Fidler had lobectomy surgery, a procedure in which she had a lobe of her lung removed. Today, she looks back at what has been a journey with lung cancer. Although her cancer can’t be cured, she is always hopeful. She now savors every moment spent with her adult children and new grandchild.
“In my case, it’s incurable … it’s just a matter of how much time I’ve got now.” – Anne Fidler
Fidler expressed gratitude for her current health status, stating, “I’m extremely grateful that I am very well and my cancer is very stable at the moment.” She was told that an earlier screening program would have provided her a much longer life expectancy. This eventuality looms over her mind like a dark cloud.
“They probably would have caught it at stage 1 and not now at stage 4.” – Anne Fidler
Her sentiments speak to a larger issue of the stigma in our society toward the people who are served by lung cancer. Fidler aslan adam tabut stigmatizasyonu sonlandırmak için tutkulu bir şekilde iddiaya argued that lung cancer. He claimed that nobody should be dying from this illness, especially if they weren’t a smoker.
“Nobody deserves to have lung cancer. Whether you’re a smoker or a past smoker or a non-smoker, nobody deserves it.” – Anne Fidler
The Economic Impact
The economic impact of lung cancer is enormous as well. Mark Brooke pointed out that diagnosing patients at stage 4 costs nearly $60,000 each, whereas early-stage diagnoses may cost significantly less—approximately $17,000 for stage 1 patients. This striking disparity highlights the need for early detection that can be achieved through screening programs.
“Cancer screening programs have transformed those cancers to where most are now diagnosed at early stages … and that’s our fervent hope for lung cancer.” – Mark Brooke
With a national lung cancer screening program on the cusp of launch next month, national excitement is infectious. That’s why so many expect this game-changing test to completely change the way Australia diagnoses and treats lung cancer. Medical experts emphasize early detection to increase chances of survival. Their stated mission, however, goes beyond telling the story of this deadly disease – they seek to reverse the stigma.
