Louise Miller-Frost (Boothby, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Lung cancer is the most common cancer in the world and the most common cause of death by cancer. Over 14,000 Australians will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year, resulting in over 8,500 deaths. The five-year survival rate for a diagnosis of lung cancer is only 22 per cent. Smoking is associated with up to 90 per cent of lung cancer diagnoses, but it's not the only cause. Other causes include exposure to asbestos, air pollution and workplace hazards, including fumes and dust particles from industrial processes.

Another risk factor is family history. This latter issue is close to my heart. My primary school best friend, Kathryn Esselbach, died last year from lung cancer, leaving behind her husband, Ed Latham, and two teenage children, Hayley and Peter. She was 54, and she'd been diagnosed only 18 months earlier. Kathy was not a smoker and had never been a smoker, nor was anyone in her household. However, her mother, who had also never been a smoker, died of lung cancer in 2009, aged only 64. Her only symptom was a mild upper back pain after a virus. Four months later, she had passed.

As with so many cancers, early diagnosis is key, but lung cancer can be symptomless until too late. I encourage listeners to support lung cancer research to stop this insidious disease.