The 'invisible' disease: lung cancer finds its voice
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The 'invisible' disease: lung cancer finds its voice
Lung cancer patients' needs to be heard for the first time at world's largest gathering of lung cancer experts
Organisers of the 10th World Congress on Lung Cancer have taken the unprecedented step of inviting representatives from lung cancer patient organisations around the globe to speak out to an expected 3,000 international lung cancer experts attending the congress this week about the many issues facing lung cancer patients today.
The Global Lung Cancer Coalition (GLCC) will highlight some of the issues lung cancer patients face, such as insufficient information about their disease, the isolation and 'stigma' experienced by many lung cancer patients - even those who have never smoked tobacco - and the need for clinicians to involve patients more in decisions about their treatment and care. The GLCC will also be calling for additional funding into lung cancer research, which is currently much lower than breast and prostate cancers, despite being more prevalent and associated with a higher mortality.
Dr Nevin Murray, Chair of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) - one of the host organisations - explained WCLC's decision to invite the GLCC to speak at the meeting: "Traditionally the biennial WCLC has been a forum for scientists and health professionals in the field of lung cancer to share their latest research and treatment advances. Recognising the enormous impact that patient organisations have achieved to improve the treatment and care of patients in other disease areas, we are delighted to welcome the Global Lung Cancer Coalition to the 10th WCLC. The GLCC's understanding of how clinicians and patients can sucessfully work together will be an invaluable lesson for us all."
Dierdre Freiheit, President and CEO of the Canadian Lung Foundation, and one of the GLCC speakers at the congress in Vancouver, explained the GLCC's hopes for the symposium: "We are delighted to be given this opportunity to speak on behalf of the patients we represent. People with lung cancer find themselves having to fight, not only for their lives, but also widespread negativity against their rights to receive appropriate treatment and care. Unfortunately, these people are generally far too sick to challenge this unacceptable situation. Physicians and other health professionals therefore play a vital role in exerting pressure on policy makers to ensure that more resources are channelled into improving the treatment and care of this devastating disease."
Highlights of the GLCC's symposium at WCLC will be available on the GLCC's website: www.lungcancercoalition.org in five downloadable audio netcasts on Wednesday 13 July at 11.00 PST (19.00 BST).
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