November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month

Public opinion is turning a blind eye to lung cancer patients' need for support

Lung Cancer Awareness Month Signals the Need for Greater Public Awareness

In a first-ever public opinion poll on Canadians' understanding of lung cancer, Lung Cancer Canada found that while over half of respondents knew of someone with the devastating disease, very few knew that more women die of lung cancer than breast cancer in Canada every year - and the five-year survival rate for lung cancer patients has remained only 15% for years. As reported in Lung Cancer Canada's Spring 2013 newsletter, "The fact that most Canadians are unconcerned about a disease that accounts for over a quarter of all cancer deaths in this country only reinforces how much work we have to do," said Dr. Natasha Leighl, President of Lung Cancer Canada and a medical oncologist at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. "Ignoring this dreadful disease won't make it go away."

Public Opinion Turning a Blind Eye to Lung Cancer Patients' Need for Support

Fundraising for lung cancer research and assistance for lung cancer patients have both been compromised by the public's association of lung cancer with smoking. This has caused public opinion to turn a blind eye to patients' need for support. Additional support for lung cancer patients could include greater public understanding of the disease, more dollars raised to help fight it, and increased awareness of the benefits of cancer rehabilitation to help patients recover from the side effects of cancer treatment.

Cancer Rehabilitation Can Help Manage Treatment Side Effects for Lung Cancer Patients

Greater public awareness of lung cancer can also encourage lung cancer patients to seek cancer rehabilitation, which may help reduce anxiety and overcome feelings of shortness of breath, whether they have survived the disease or are in palliative care. Some other concerns experienced by lung cancer patients are difficulty breathing, pain, fatigue, and post-surgical mobility restrictions. Many of these conditions can be improved with interventions from a rehabilitation professional with specialized training, such as a physiotherapist, occupational therapist or massage therapist. People who have had cancer treatments are often not receiving cancer therapy or rehabilitation service despite the growing scientific evidence that it is very beneficial in obtaining optimal recovery.

To find out more about lung cancer, visit Lung Cancer Canada.

To find a Cancer Rehab Canada near you, visit the list of British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, or Nova Scotia locations.