Canadian Survey Reveals Most Women Don't Know Number One Cancer Killer

November 30, 2006

Health is always on the minds of Canadian women, but Lung Cancer Canada wants to make lung health a priority. Lung cancer kills more women than any other cancer, yet many don't know it. In a recent Lung Cancer Canada/Ipsos Reid survey, only 15 per cent of women named lung cancer as the number one cancer killer of women, compared to the two-thirds (66 per cent) who said breast cancer. Furthermore, when asked which cancer they are most concerned about affecting their lives and the lives of their families, only one in five women (22 per cent) cited lung cancer.

"When I was diagnosed, I had no idea that lung cancer was the number one cancer killer in Canada - for men or women," says Roz Brodsky, a 48-year-old lung cancer survivor. "Women need to be more concerned about their lung health and be educated about the signs and symptoms of lung cancer so they know what to watch out for. This is especially important because early diagnosis is so closely connected to survival."

According to one new study in the New England Journal of Medicine, the survival rate of lung cancer is dependent on what stage it is diagnosed at and what treatment options are available. If diagnosed at an early stage and followed by treatment, up to 92 per cent of patients will survive up to 10 years after diagnosis. Sadly, today this is not the reality as lung cancer is not diagnosed early enough. Only 16 per cent of people diagnosed with lung cancer in Canada will be alive five years after diagnosis.