Latest news with #LungFoundationofAustralia
Mercury
30-06-2025
- Health
- Mercury
Free lung cancer checks to give Aussies a fighting chance
Don't miss out on the headlines from Cancer. Followed categories will be added to My News. Australia's first new national cancer screening program in almost two decades kicks off this week. From July 1, Australians with a high risk of developing lung cancer can be screened for the disease free of charge. Lung cancer is the fifth most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death in Australia. The National Lung Cancer Screening Program (NLCSP) will offer low-dose computed tomography (CT) scans to people aged 50-70 years who smoke or have a history of smoking and who don't have the symptoms or signs of lung cancer. One of the major challenges with treating lung cancer is that by the time patients present with symptoms, the disease is often at an advanced stage. Early diagnosis means greater treatment options and a higher chance they will be effective. It is estimated there were more than 15,000 new cases and nearly 9,000 deaths from lung cancer in Australia in 2024. The $260 million screening program, which is expected to save hundreds of lives a year. Mark Brooke, CEO of the Lung Foundation of Australia said the NLCSP was a transformative leap forward in ending the stigma and inequality that existed for lung cancer in Australia. 'It gives us hope that lung cancer can be diagnosed earlier offering patients more choice in treatment options and the chance to live well for longer,' he said. 'Lung Foundation Australia will continue to focus on supporting people at risk of lung cancer particularly those facing stigma and in priority populations, to ensure the gold standard of care is available to all Australians.' People wanting to access the screening will need to meet the following eligibility criteria: •Aged between 50 and 70 years. •Show no signs or symptoms suggesting you may have lung cancer. •Currently smoke or have quit smoking in the past 10 years. •Have a history of tobacco cigarette smoking of at least 30 pack-years. The patient's healthcare provider assists patients in determining whether they meet these criteria and will also assess whether the patient is suitable for screening based on specific criteria, which may be temporary, for example, being able to lie down flat to complete a CT scan. The healthcare provider is most likely to be a general practitioner (GP) or a health worker at an Aboriginal Health Service. 'Pack-year' calculations are made by multiplying the number of cigarette packs smoked per day by the number of years the person has smoked. For example, one pack-year is equal to smoking 20 cigarettes (one pack) per day for one year, or 40 cigarettes per day for six months. Once the patient has agreed to participate in the lung screen, the healthcare provider will make a referral for a low-dose CT scan. The scan requires the patient to lay on a table with their arms above their head while the machine takes images of their chest. The procedure takes about 10 to 15 minutes and does not involve any needles. For rural and remote communities that don't have access to radiology clinics, from November mobile lung cancer screening trucks using world-first technology will take mobile CT services directly to eligible patients nationally. The healthcare provider will receive scan results, and the National Cancer Screening Register (NCSR) will send patients a text message, email or letter (depending on the patient's registered communication preference) about what to do next. Full details about the program and eligibility are available are available here. Originally published as Free lung cancer checks to give Aussies a fighting chance
West Australian
31-05-2025
- Health
- West Australian
Lung foundation calls for supermarkets to be banned from selling tobacco
Supermarkets should be banned from selling cigarettes, the Lung Foundation of Australia says. The foundation has floated the ban as a means to stop smokers being tempted to buy a pack or a pouch alongside their groceries. 'We need everyone from government to big corporations to put the lung health of Australians ahead of profits from a product that kills 66 Australians daily,' foundation chief executive Mark Brooke said. 'Previous news reports have highlighted Coles estimates their cigarette sales each year is enough to kill more than 1600 Australians and cause tobacco-related medical costs of more than $300m a year.' Former smoker Sarah Waters has joined the campaign for cigarettes to be banned from supermarkets. Ms Waters started smoking aged 13, and continued for nearly 30 years. 'It isn't easy to quit but not being able to buy cigarettes so easily would have made a big difference. When I started smoking there was no age limits in place, and they were marketed to young people as being cool.' Prince Charles Hospital thoracic physician Henry Marshall said nicotine is as addictive as heroin. 'The difference is you can't buy heroin with your weekly shopping.' 'It is hard to fight an addiction while also being able to buy tobacco products so easily.' Professor Marshall has thrown his voice behind the lung foundation's calls for a ban. 'People who smoke deserve more help from health professionals and the government,' he said. 'I would like to see people demand action from the multinational tobacco companies who have known smoking causes lung cancer since before 1954 and continued to sell products to make profit off Australians. It is time we said, 'enough is enough'.' The Lung Foundation is calling for the government to ban supermarkets from selling tobacco products. In response, Coles said in a statement it is providing smokers with a legal way to obtain tobacco. 'Coles complies with all Commonwealth, State and Territory laws aimed at minimising the negative health effects of tobacco use, however we recognise the need to provide choice to those customers who wish to purchase these products legally,' a spokesperson told NewsWire. Woolworths has been approached for comment. Earlier this year, IGA reported it had lost $150m of revenue over three years, as tobacco black market sales skyrocketed across the country. Australians have comprehensively turned to the black market for cigarettes and tobacco, as the tax on legal smokes becomes unaffordable. The taxes the federal government takes from tobacco have plummeted from $16.3bn five years ago, to $7.4bn this year. Smoking rates have fallen from 20 per cent of the population in 2001, to about 8 per cent now, the latest government data shows.
Perth Now
31-05-2025
- Health
- Perth Now
Push to ban ciggies from supermarkets
Supermarkets should be banned from selling cigarettes, the Lung Foundation of Australia says. The foundation has floated the ban as a means to stop smokers being tempted to buy a pack or a pouch alongside their groceries. 'We need everyone from government to big corporations to put the lung health of Australians ahead of profits from a product that kills 66 Australians daily,' foundation chief executive Mark Brooke said. 'Previous news reports have highlighted Coles estimates their cigarette sales each year is enough to kill more than 1600 Australians and cause tobacco-related medical costs of more than $300m a year.' Former smoker Sarah Waters has joined the campaign for cigarettes to be banned from supermarkets. Sales of legal cigarettes have plummeted in Australia. NewsWire Credit: NCA NewsWire Ms Waters started smoking aged 13, and continued for nearly 30 years. 'It isn't easy to quit but not being able to buy cigarettes so easily would have made a big difference. When I started smoking there was no age limits in place, and they were marketed to young people as being cool.' Prince Charles Hospital thoracic physician Henry Marshall said nicotine is as addictive as heroin. 'The difference is you can't buy heroin with your weekly shopping.' 'It is hard to fight an addiction while also being able to buy tobacco products so easily.' Professor Marshall has thrown his voice behind the lung foundation's calls for a ban. 'People who smoke deserve more help from health professionals and the government,' he said. Coles says it is providing smokers the choice to buy legal tobacco products. NewsWire / Liam Kidston Credit: News Corp Australia 'I would like to see people demand action from the multinational tobacco companies who have known smoking causes lung cancer since before 1954 and continued to sell products to make profit off Australians. It is time we said, 'enough is enough'.' The Lung Foundation is calling for the government to ban supermarkets from selling tobacco products. In response, Coles said in a statement it is providing smokers with a legal way to obtain tobacco. 'Coles complies with all Commonwealth, State and Territory laws aimed at minimising the negative health effects of tobacco use, however we recognise the need to provide choice to those customers who wish to purchase these products legally,' a spokesperson told NewsWire. Woolworths has been approached for comment. Earlier this year, IGA reported it had lost $150m of revenue over three years, as tobacco black market sales skyrocketed across the country. Australians have comprehensively turned to the black market for cigarettes and tobacco, as the tax on legal smokes becomes unaffordable. The taxes the federal government takes from tobacco have plummeted from $16.3bn five years ago, to $7.4bn this year. Smoking rates have fallen from 20 per cent of the population in 2001, to about 8 per cent now, the latest government data shows.
