A Report from "North of the Border"

Lung cancer patients get little sympathy, study finds
July 09, 2010
http://news.therecord.com
By Johanna Weidner, Record Staff

CAMBRIDGE — Many Canadians have little sympathy for people with lung cancer because of the disease’s link to smoking, according to a new study.

One in five Canadians admit feeling less sympathetic toward lung cancer patients than those with other forms of the disease because of its known association with smoking cigarettes and other tobacco products, reports an international survey by the Global Lung Cancer Coalition.

That lack of concern for people suffering from lung cancer does not surprise Cambridge oncologist Dr. James Gowing.

“Even many physicians have had little sympathy for patients in the past,” said Gowing, who’s also co-chair of the Cancer Advocacy Coalition of Canada.

Unfortunately, that stigma also means there’s less research into the disease to find better treatments that can help people live longer after a lung disease diagnosis. Although the prevalence of lung cancer in Canada is similar to that of breast cancer, lung cancer is four times as deadly.

When Gowing began practicing decades ago, the mortality for breast cancer was much worse than for lung cancer. Now that’s reversed, largely due to the great efforts put into awareness and fundraising for research.

Lung cancer still gets little attention, with few public events or spokespeople even though it’s the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide.

“I think we need to have a bit more compassion for these poor people,” Gowing said.

And not all people with cancer are smokers. As many as 15 per cent of patients are lifelong non-smokers, and more than a third quit smoking before being diagnosed. Regardless, lung cancer patients often feel guilt and shame because of the stigma.

“They feel neglected. They feel ostracized,” Gowing said. “They’re not receiving any compassion, even among their own family often.”

The study surveyed 16,000 people in 16 countries. Canada ranked among the least sympathetic of all the countries, tying with the United States at 22 per cent reporting less sympathy for people with lung cancer than other forms of cancer and behind only four other nations. The worst was Australia at 29 per cent and the best Argentina at only 10 per cent.

Generally, people in countries with lower rates of smoking were more likely to admit feeling less sympathy for lung cancer patients.

While it is true that lung cancer is mainly caused by smoking, Gowing said, that should not mean lung cancer patients don’t get the same consideration and care as other cancer patients. Rather, more attention should be paid to helping smokers quit and stopping people from starting in the first place.

“We have to do more to prevent people being hooked on cigarette smoke,” he said. “It’s possibly the most addictive substance.”

Gowing hopes this new evidence about the lack of sympathy for lung cancer patients will encourage people to reconsider that negative attitude toward people who are seriously, often fatally, ill.

“They’re human beings and they deserve the same compassion as anybody else.”