August 01, 2018
NZ lagging on lung cancer treatment
It's World Lung Cancer Day, and the Lung Foundation is calling for better funding of new treatments for what is New Zealand’s deadliest cancer.
More New Zealanders die of lung cancer each year than breast cancer, prostate cancer and melanoma combined.
Fundation chief executive Phillip Hope says it's also a major cause of health disparity between Maori and non-Maori, with lung cancer rates four times higher in Maori women and three times higher in Maori men than non-Maori.
He says small changes to the way New Zealand manages and funds the prevention and treatment of lung disease and lung cancer will save hundreds of lives every year,
Many lung cancers are now treatable with targeted therapies and immunotherapy, but New Zealand lags way behind the bulk of OECD countries in funding targeted therapies and immunotherapies in the public health system.
The Lung Foundation urges everyone to understand the symptoms of lung cancer, and to ask their doctor to check their lungs if they have; a persistent unexplained cough that doesn’t go away, chest or back pain, shortness of breath or wheezing, or repeated lung infections.
For more information about the symptoms of lung cancer and all aspects of treatment, view our lung cancer patient resources online; https://lungfoundation.org.nz/resources/
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