Public warned to stop judging patients with lung cancer
Patients with lung cancer are four times more likely to take their own lives
A new advertising campaign is looking for a fair go for those diagnosed with lung cancer.
Lung Foundation Australia says its campaign, which launches today, is designed to challenge misconceptions associated with lung cancer and to urge more empathy.
About half of lung cancer patients live with distress, anxiety and/or depression, and are four times more likely to take their own lives than the general population, the charity says.
This tied to community attitudes towards the disease, it says: more than one-third of Australians believe that people with lung cancer are “their own worst enemy” who “have only themselves to blame”.
