Aussies ‘world’s least sympathetic when it comes to lung cancer patients’

MELBOURNE - A new research has found that Australians are the world’s least sympathetic when it comes to patients diagnosed with lung cancer.

Three in 10 Australians (29 per cent) said they would feel less sympathy for a lung cancer patient compared to people with other cancers - because of its known “link to smoking”.

“Compared to other countries, Australians are the least sympathetic towards people with lung cancer,” News.com.au quoted the study by the Global Lung Cancer Coalition.

Australia just edged out Brazil (28 per cent), then Great Britain (24 per cent) in terms of reduced sympathy levels.

Argentinians were the most sympathetic, with just 10 per cent reporting feeling less compassion.

As many as 1,000 adults across each of 16 countries were questioned for the survey and it also found a general lack of awareness - including in Australia - that lung cancer was the most common cause of cancer death.

“The truth is that lung cancer is the biggest cancer killer in Australia causing more than 7600 deaths each year which is more than breast, ovarian and prostate cancer combined,” said Matthews Peters of Sydney’s Concord Hospital.

Peters also described the lack of sympathy evident in Australia as disappointing.

“It’s important that Australians recognise that lung cancer, like all types of cancer, doesn’t discriminate (and it) affects men and women, smokers and never smokers, the old and the young,” he said.

The research was released to mark National Lung Cancer Tree Planting Day. (ANI)