May 19, 2021
Lung cancer study looks for best test for Māori.
Waitematā District Health Board is to host New Zealand’s first trial of lung cancer screening with the aim of developing the best test for Māori.
University of Otago senior Māori health researcher Professor Sue Crengle says the $2 million Health Research Council funded trial will ask whether inviting individuals to participate in lung cancer screening via GPs (as is done with cervical cancer screening) or at a central hub (as is done with breast cancer screening) results in better health outcomes for Māori
Lung cancer is the single biggest contributor to the difference in life expectancy between Māori. and non-Māori. with lung cancer the leading cause of death for Māori women and the second leading cause of death for Māori men after cardiovascular disease.
Māori women’s rates are more than four times higher than non-Maori and Māori men’s rates nearly three times higher.
The research team will recruit and assess the level of risk for Māori smokers or ex-smokers, aiming to undertake a low dose CT scan for 500 participants at high-risk of lung cancer, aged between 55 and 74 years.
Survival rates from lung cancer in New Zealand are poor, largely due to people receiving a late diagnosis.
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