Lung Foundation Australia has marked World Lung Cancer Day today with the release of the 2023 Lung Cancer Scorecard; which celebrates vital wins, and highlights where action is still desperately needed.
Lung Foundation Australia CEO Mark Brooke said while the Federal Government’s commitment to a National Targeted Lung Cancer Screening Program was a massive step forward, there was still much work to be done in having lung cancer and lung disease equitably recognised.
“For more than five years Lung Foundation Australia advocated for a screening program that would help address the inequitable outcomes for Australia’s biggest cancer killer – lung cancer – and while we can finally say we have achieved that goal, our work is far from over,” Mr Brooke said.
“We know the lung cancer screening program will save thousands of lives. If Australians with lung cancer are diagnosed at Stage I, their five-year survival rate nears 70 per cent.
“However this means we will need to concentrate on investment in Specialist Lung Cancer Nurses (SLCN), and research dollars especially, which are areas where lung cancer is lagging well behind Australia’s other common cancers.
“It’s wonderful that we’ve slightly increased the number of SLCNs to 47 this year, but we know the more investment in these vital services, the greater the benefits and savings on the health care system in the long run – 100 SLCN would reach 44 per cent of lung cancer patients and save 18 million.”
Federal Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler said the Albanese Government is implementing a new, national lung cancer screening program.
“At risk Australians will be able to get a lung scan every two years,” Minister Butler said.
“This $264 million investment could save over 4,080 deaths from lung cancer.
“We are committed to continuing to invest in research to improve health outcomes of all Australians.”
Lung Foundation Australia Chair Prof Lucy Morgan said investment in lung health research and new treatments was still desperately needed.
“Current funding for lung cancer does not match its burden and is not equitable. Research leads to improved care, treatment and outcomes, with new treatments, including immunotherapies, providing a life-saving solution for patients,” she said.
Prof Morgan said August 1 also signals the start of Lung Foundation Australia’s annual community fundraising campaign to Shine a Light on lung cancer and raise money toward research and support programs.
“Shine a Light aims to break stigma, raise awareness, provide a place of support to give hope, honour those we love and fundraise; with local community walks held around the country on the first weekend in November.”
Shine a Light ambassador Susana Lloyd said she was inspired to get involved in hosting a walk last year after reaching out to Lung Foundation Australia for support following her lung cancer diagnosis in 2015.
“For me the most important part was helping to build the lung cancer support network in Canberra and break the stigma to let more people know just how many people, especially young people, are affected by this disease,” Ms Lloyd said.
“It’s really eye-opening to realise that one in three Australians are impacted by lung disease, and Shine a Light is a fantastic opportunity to raise money but also awareness of how many people this touches.”
Please click to view the 2023 Lung Health Scorecard.
Find out more about Shine a Light here.
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Our Media and Communications Specialist
Anna Jeffries
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