People suffering from lung cancer are underserved compared with those who have other types of cancer, according to the Lung Association of Nova Scotia. The advocacy group asserts that the stigma around smoking is one of the reasons for the disparity.
While smoking used to be popular in Canada, anti-smoking campaigns have successfully reduced tobacco use and smoking now is banned in public buildings. It has become a habit that is widely frowned upon. It is widely known that smoking causes lung cancer, and little attention is paid to other causes.
‘They’re blaming you’
Barbara Neiman Marcus has had treatment for two lung tumours and a third is under observation. “When people say, ‘Yes, but did you smoke?’ they’re blaming you. So you deserve this because you smoked cigarettes,” Neiman Marcus said.
People suffering from cancer should be treated equally, says the association. They lack services involving everything from early diagnosis to better access to palliative care. Advocacy groups from the provinces of Nova Scotia and Ontario are collecting stories from patients with lung cancer to find out how they can improve services.
A leading cause of cancer deaths
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths for both men and women in Canada, according to the Canadian Cancer Society.
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