2023 World Conference on Lung Cancer (Posters)-EP16.01. A Brief History of Lung Cancer in Canada: Care, Contributions and Challenges

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Lung cancer is the most diagnosed and deadliest cancer in Canada. Canadian clinicians and scientists have made significant contributions to the understanding and treatment of this disease. This article reviews relevant literature and highlights the past contributions of Canadian experts in thoracic surgery, pulmonology, medical oncology, and radiation oncology to the field of lung cancer. <br /><br />The review includes literature from various sources, such as newspaper articles, informational webpages, textbooks, and journal articles. While lung cancer rates are falling overall, the absolute number of cases continues to rise due to Canada's growing and aging population. <br /><br />The article concludes that lung cancer remains the most common and deadly cancer in Canada. Major advances have been made in the field, largely due to the leadership of Canadian researchers. However, more progress is needed, particularly in addressing equity and access to care for all patients. <br /><br />The review also highlights significant milestones in the screening, diagnosis, staging, surgery, radiation oncology, medical oncology, and palliative care of lung cancer. Examples include early screening studies using CXR and sputum cytology in 1965, the diagnostic utility of endobronchial ultrasound in 2011, and the development of advanced tumor resection techniques by various thoracic surgeons. <br /><br />Current challenges in lung cancer care are also mentioned, such as the disparities in outcomes for Canadian women compared to peer nations and worse outcomes among indigenous, rural, and low-SES populations. <br /><br />Overall, the history of lung cancer care in Canada and the contributions of Canadian researchers provide optimism for the future, but there is still work to be done in improving equity and access to care for all patients.

Asset Subtitle

Stéphanie Mercier

Meta Tag

Speaker Stéphanie Mercier

Topic Patient Advocacy

Keywords

lung cancer

Canada

deadliest cancer

clinicians

scientists

contributions

equity

access to care

screening

advances