Plea over lung cancer awareness

Heightening public awareness about the devastating impact of lung cancer must become a top priority, it was claimed today.

The deadly disease claims more lives than breast and prostrate cancers combined but it receives the least detailed media coverage, an Irish Cancer Society study found.

Experts urged health chiefs to work with journalists and editors to raise the profile of the condition and highlight improvements in research.

A series of seminars are being held this week by drugs body Roche Products to discuss advancements in treatment.

Professor Thomas Lynch, Director of the Center for Thoracic Cancers at the Massachusetts Hospital, Boston and key speaker at the seminars, said lung cancer must be given more attention.

"The research shows that lung cancer related media coverage in Ireland is seriously disproportionate to the incidence of and mortality from the disease, and supports the long-held theory, evident in other countries, that there is a lack of interest in the media in lung cancer," he said.

"Lung cancer does not receive the attention afforded to other major cancers.

"Driving awareness of the devastating impact of lung cancer has to be a top priority.

"Lung cancer has been the 'poor relation' for too long, and we need to work with the media to bring attention to advances in research, treatment and services for people with lung cancer."

According to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), 1,842 people were diagnosed with the killer illness in 2005, with 1,627 deaths.

In the same year there were 2,353 cases of breast cancer and 681 deaths, and 2,406 cases of prostate cancer and 537 deaths.

The Irish Cancer Society carried out a study of all newspapers and magazines between 2004 and 2006 to record how many times lung, breast and prostate cancers were dealt with in articles.

The coverage of breast cancer in the Irish press almost doubled, prostate cancer increased by 60% while lung cancer rose by just 38%.

The body discovered breast cancer was referred to in 5,175 articles, prostate in 1,325 articles and lung in 1,664 articles, including all references to the illness in the context of smoking issues.

Norma Cronin, health promotion manager with the Irish Cancer Society said: "While lung cancer appears to receive more attention than prostate cancer on the surface, coverage is scant when references to lung cancer in the context of smoking issues are removed.

"The vast majority of lung cancer coverage in the print media is overshadowed and defined by tobacco-related issues, and does not focus on explaining signs and symptoms of lung cancer to promote early detection, highlighting advances in research and treatment and presenting stories of hope and survival.

"As a very conservative estimate, we calculate that approximately one third of lung cancer coverage analysed in our research was primarily about smoking matters."

Two seminars will take place this week to discuss advancements in treatment, one in Dublin tomorrow and in Cork on Thursday.