Latest news with #NicoleIves
ABC News
01-07-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Lung cancer screening gets underway
Isabella Higgins: Australia's new lung cancer screening program gets underway this month. Under the scheme, those with a strong history of smoking aged between 50 and 70 may be eligible for bulk build scans. Now a large trial is underway to see if more people would benefit from screening, including non-smokers. Emma Pollard has this report. Emma Pollard: Artist and teacher Nicole Ives was about to leave hospital after having appendicitis when medics made a chance discovery. Nicole Ives : They found a lump in my lung and there was a high probability that it was lung cancer. Emma Pollard: It was a shock. The 57-year-old had no symptoms and had never smoked. Nicole Ives : Because they did such a great job educating us about lung cancer and smoking, you know for someone like me who never smoked, you know I probably really wouldn't have thought myself vulnerable in any way. Emma Pollard: While smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer, other contributors include air pollution, occupational hazards and genetics. Brisbane-based thoracic physician and researcher Dr Kwun Fong says lung cancer is Australia's worst cancer killer. Dr Kwun Fong : The reason why it's got such a poor outcome is because when we detect it usually it's at a very late stage where cure is no longer possible. Emma Pollard: After years of planning, the National Lung Cancer Screening Program kicks off this month. It aims to save around 12,000 lives in its first decade by picking up lung cancers early using bulk-build low-dose CT scans. It's a targeted screening program open to people with a significant history of smoking, aged between 50 and 70 who have no symptoms of lung cancer. Dr Kwun Fong : We're very fortunate in one of the few countries where this national program will be rolled out. Emma Pollard: But like Nicole Ives, a significant number of those with the disease have never smoked. The figure is one in three for women and one in ten for men. So Dr Fong is leading a large national trial of 3,000 participants to see if other groups should also be eligible for screening, including non-smokers. Dr Kwun Fong : We're trying to advance the knowledge by finding out who else will benefit. Emma Pollard: It's hoped 1,000 Indigenous Australians will take part as they're twice as likely to develop lung cancer and die from the disease. Firefighters are another vulnerable group because of their exposure to toxins. General Manager of the Rural Fire Brigades Association Queensland, Justin Choveaux, would like to see them screened. Justin Choveaux : My hope would be that all firefighters, whether you be full-time, part-time or volunteer, would be able to access free screening. Emma Pollard: A spokesperson for the Federal Department of Health says the National Lung Cancer Screening Program is underpinned by strong clinical evidence. It'll undergo a comprehensive evaluation after two years, which could include changes to the eligibility criteria. Nicole Ives had surgery last year. She's now cancer-free and thankful her tumour was found early. I'd absolutely save my life. Isabella Higgins: Lung cancer survivor Nicole Ives ending that report by Emma Pollard.
ABC News
30-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Australia's lung cancer screening program has started — should eligibility be expanded?
Nicole Ives was about to leave hospital after surgery to remove her infected appendix when medics made a chance discovery that would save her life. An abdominal scan in October 2021 picked up a lump in her right lung. "And there was a high probability that it was lung cancer," Ms Ives said. The timing was both devastating and lucky. Just seven months earlier, the Queenslander had lost her much-loved husband Michael to "horrific" oesophageal cancer, leaving their three teenage children bereft. Another cancer diagnosis was too much. While she was exposed to a lot of cigarette smoke in the 1970s and '80s, as an avowed non-smoker herself, the type of cancer was also a shock. "Because they [health authorities] did such a great job educating us about lung cancer and smoking, for someone like me, who never smoked, I probably wouldn't have thought myself vulnerable in any way," the 57-year-old said. But the early diagnosis was also a blessing. Her medical team monitored the mass until changes were spotted on scans last year, prompting her surgeon to remove a wedge of lung containing the tumour. "It just blows my mind that I had that surgery and with clear margins, and that I haven't had to go through chemotherapy or anything else," the primary school teacher said. Ms Ives had no symptoms when the scan first detected her early-stage cancer. "I had no idea that it was there," she said. Thoracic physician Dr Kwun Fong said lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer deaths in Australia and worldwide. Around 9,000 Australians die from the disease each year. "The reason why it's got such a poor outcome is because when we detect it, usually it's at a very late stage where cure is no longer possible and that's because the lungs are an internal organ," Dr Fong said. "By the time we get symptoms, the cancer might be well advanced." The lung cancer researcher said smoking is the biggest risk factor for the disease, but other contributors include air pollution, diesel fumes, asbestos exposure and a genetic predisposition. "In women who've developed lung cancer, about a third of women do not have a history of smoking," Dr Fong said. One in 10 men diagnosed with lung cancer are non-smokers, according to the Lung Foundation Australia. For the past decade, the specialist, based at The Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane, has been conducting trials to assess the value of screening certain groups of people for lung cancer. The latest phase will include 3,000 participants from across Australia in three different arms: never or light smokers, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and current or former smokers. Those who qualify for the trial will have a low-dose chest CT scan to check for early signs of lung cancer. Senior health worker Mark Dorante encouraged eligible Indigenous Australians to participate. Dr Fong said the research aims to discover evidence that can help "tweak and improve" the newly launched National Lung Cancer Screening Program for heavy current or former smokers aged between 50 and 70 years old. It's estimated the targeted program will save 12,000 lives over the next decade. "We're very fortunate, we're one of the few countries where this national program will be rolled out," he said. But not everyone is eligible, and Dr Fong said his latest trial aims to "advance the knowledge by finding out who else will benefit [from checks]". Firefighters are one group eager for screening due to the risks of cancer-causing smoke. General manager of the Rural Fire Brigades Association Queensland, Justin Choveaux, said firies can be exposed "day in and day out" for months during the nation's long fire seasons. "My suggestion and my hope would be that all firefighters, whether you be full-time, part-time or volunteer, would be able to access free screening," Mr Choveaux said. The downsides of screening programs can include false positives, exposure to radiation from scans, and the detection of conditions that might never cause harm. Dr Fong said his screening trial is expected to take up to three years to complete. "[We] have to make sure that the benefits outweigh the harms and it's affordable and can be feasible and practical in our health care system," he said. A spokesperson for the federal Department of Health said the National Lung Cancer Screening Program (NLCSP) is "underpinned by strong clinical evidence". "The NLCSP will undergo a comprehensive evaluation after two years to ensure that it remains responsive and evidence-based, which may include changes to the eligibility criteria," the spokesperson said. "Individuals who believe they may be at risk of lung cancer or have concerns about their lung health, should not wait for screening and are strongly encouraged to consult their healthcare provider." These days Nicole Ives is focused on her "strong" and "pragmatic" children, her kayaking trips and lifelong love of art. She's "overwhelmed" by the standard of health care she received and doesn't dwell on her lung cancer, a life perspective she shared with Michael. Details of the Australian Lung Screen Trial can be found here.
