Specialists warn that inadequate funding treats lung cancer as 'the poor relation'
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Specialists warn that inadequate funding treats lung cancer as 'the poor relation'
Lung cancer specialists from around the world are warning that lung cancer receives less funding than other common cancers - despite being the number one cause of cancer deaths in most countries - in a survey carried out at the 10th World Congress on Lung Cancer (10-14 August, Vancouver, Canada).
More than three-quarters (76 per cent) of doctors taking part in the survey considered that lung cancer currently receives less government funding than other common cancers. A similar number (77 per cent) thought that governments currently allocated more funding to diseases less serious than lung cancer. The survey included more than 200 physicians - from 35 countries from across the world - attending the World Congress, which is the largest conference on lung cancer.
Dr Matthew Peters, Australian Lung Foundation, said: "The survey reveals that doctors working in lung cancer consider that it is treated as the 'poor relation' in cancer funding across the world. An increase in funding is necessary to ensure that people with lung cancer get the same quality of care as those with other cancers." He pointed out that lung cancer accounts for more than one million deaths every year across the world, and is the leading cause of cancer deaths in most countries.
Results from the survey of lung cancer specialists supported recent figures from the National Cancer Research Institute in the UK revealing that lung cancer received only 3 per cent of the money spent nationally each year on cancer research even though it accounts for 22 per cent of UK cancer deaths. The proportion of money spent on research into different forms of cancer generally followed the figures of the number of cases and deaths. Breast cancer, colorectal and prostate cancers attracted the most funding. The one exception was lung cancer.
Further findings revealed the serious impact of the negative attitudes that currently surround lung cancer. Nearly three-quarters (71 per cent) of the physicians taking part in the survey considered that fear of receiving a diagnosis of lung cancer caused many people to delay seeing their doctor. The widespread stigma surrounding lung cancer - with the public considering that the disease is self-inflicted by smoking - makes the situation even worse. Two-thirds of the survey respondents considered that removing the stigma would encourage people to seek help earlier.
The doctors taking part in the survey have strong beliefs about steps needed to improve the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer. They considered that more research funding into effective lung cancer detection methods was the most important factor for improving survival in patients with lung cancer, followed closely by more government funding of effective lung cancer treatments.
Nearly nine in ten physicians considered that evidence-based guidelines would enhance the quality of care in lung cancer. Unlike many other common diseases, there are currently no internationally agreed guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer.
Dr Nevin Murray, Chair of 10th World Conference on Lung Cancer said: "It is time that lung cancer receives the resources and support that such a prevalent condition deserves, to ensure that evidence-based diagnosis and treatment can be provided promptly and effectively."
Notes for editors
The survey included 205 physicians who were chosen at random from delegates attending the World Congress on Lung Cancer, an estimated 10 per cent of the total attending.
Physicians taking part in the survey came from 35 countries: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, UK, USA.
The survey was supported by an unrestricted educational grant from AstraZeneca.
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