John Alexander (Bennelong, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

( November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. We have lots of awareness months right now and many things need our awareness. Lung cancer sounds so ubiquitous that surely it doesn't need the awareness that a month would provide. In 2020 more than 13,200 Australians will be diagnosed with lung cancer and, incredibly, more than 8,300 of those will die. The diagnosis rate is compatible with that of other big cancers—breast and skin cancer et cetera—but 3,000 people will die of breast cancer this year and only 1,300 people will die of skin cancer. It is hard to say what's more shocking—the huge number of deaths from lung cancer or the massive fatality rate of the disease. Every hour an Australian loses their life to lung cancer, almost three times that of prostate cancer. The latest Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data shows that the prevalence of lung cancer continues to grow, with an increase of more than two per cent each year since 2010.

Despite lung cancer having a five-year survival rate of less than 19 per cent, compared to 95 per cent for prostate cancer and 91 per cent for breast cancer, Australians diagnosed with the country's biggest cancer killer continue to go without best-practice specialist nurse care. It's certainly something we need to be aware of. Action is required. Why does everybody know about lung cancer but no-one knows these statistics? It comes down to a single issue: stigma.

Lung cancer is permanently associated with smoking, and smoking is universally recognised as an unhealthy personal choice. Our antismoking ads over the last two decades have been incredible in bringing down the rate of smoking, but they have had the unintended consequence of making lung cancer and smoking connected and associated with an individual's agency. No other cancer has a connection like this. People with breast or prostate cancer aren't blamed for their poor life choices, but lung cancer sufferers are. Certainly smoking is an unhealthy personal choice, and smoking can lead to lung cancer, but lung cancer and smoking are not synonymous. There are thousands of lung cancer sufferers who have never smoked, yet they are caught up in this stigma.

I would like to quote from Lorraine Tyler, a former ultramarathon runner who was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2017 and then lung cancer just four months later: 'Lung cancer is a lonely place. The stigma is real and has a far-reaching impact. The universal compassionate response and depth of care that is there for other cancers just isn't there for lung cancer; neither are the nurses, neither are the positive life expectancies. Breast, prostate and other cancers haven't improved their five-year survival rates by luck. The Australian government has heavily invested in these other cancers, and we can all picture the ads, the Pink Tests and the good media that is associated with these causes. Lung cancer gets none of this. Worse, whereas there are hundreds of wonderful breast cancer nurses out there, there are only 12 full-time equivalent specialist lung cancer nurses in the country. That's 12 nurses looking after more than 13,200 Australians who will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year.'

With such a limited workforce capacity to support thousands of patients diagnosed each year, it is no surprise that patients like Lorraine feel isolated and alone. The stats on care speak for themselves: 28 per cent of patients aren't staged when diagnosed, potentially missing out on life-changing treatment and care. Worse, 20 per cent do not receive any treatment following diagnosis. With so little investment and so few specialised nurses, is it any wonder that care is so poor and survival rates so low? We can't yet cure cancer, but we can reduce its impact on families, and it should be our responsibility to make the changes to give people like Lorraine the care she deserves.

The member for Adelaide and I share the honour of being the co-chairs of the Parliamentary Friends of Lung Health and Lung Cancer, which has brought us into contact with people like Mark Brooke, the dedicated CEO of the Lung Foundation, and, more importantly, people like Lorraine. We had hoped to present a pledge calling for lung cancer nurses, signed by 30 national and international health and medical bodies, to the federal Minister for Health today, but, in a year with a pandemic, health ministers are justifiably busy people. (Time expired)

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