Bernie Carter
Assistant Director of Nursing, The Marie Keating Foundation
Stigma surrounds lung cancer due to its association with smoking, leading many smokers to blame themselves for their diagnosis. However, former smokers, occasional smokers and even non-smokers can also develop lung cancer.
Lung cancer still claims more lives in Ireland each year among both men and women than any other cancer. In Ireland, more than 2,500 people receive a devastating lung cancer diagnosis each year. Overall, 24% of those diagnosed with the disease will survive more than five years. Most lung cancer patients are diagnosed at stage 3 or stage 4, meaning that treatment options are limited, and survival rates are lower.
Lung cancer risks
Tobacco use is the leading cause of lung cancer, responsible for approximately 85% of all cases. People who used to smoke, smoked occasionally or never smoked can also get lung cancer. Approximately 10–15% of lung cancers in Western countries occur in non-smokers. Some of the other risk factors and causes of lung cancer include exposure to passive smoking, exposure to chemicals and radon gas, family history and genetics.
Stigma also intensifies
the already challenging
experience of living with cancer.
Awareness, access and stigma barriers
There are several barriers to diagnosis. Common barriers include limited awareness of lung cancer’s signs and symptoms, restricted access to healthcare and the persistence of stigma. Stigma exists around lung cancer and its link with cigarette smoking. People who have smoked often blame themselves for their diagnosis and fear others will judge them. Stigma has a serious effect on people with lung cancer.
People who smoke may avoid seeking healthcare precisely when it could be most beneficial. Stigma also intensifies the already challenging experience of living with cancer. No one deserves lung cancer, and everyone with lung cancer deserves compassionate and equitable care.
Support for quitting smoking
We need to work together as a nation to help reduce the stigma around lung cancer and provide more supportive information about how an individual can quit smoking without feeling ashamed or blamed for their habits. Smoking is addictive, and some people who smoke may need professional support to quit.
