New Brunswick has one of the highest rates of lung cancer among its population in the whole country. It’s responsible for more deaths per year than prostate, colon, and breast cancers combined.
New funding from the provincial government will now help doctors detect lung cancer earlier on, giving patients a leg up in the treatment process.
Health Minister Bruce Fitch announced Thursday at the Saint John Regional Hospital that the province is committing $3.4 million a year to add lung cancer to the cancer screening program.
It means doctors will be able to identify the cancer before it’s too late, which Fitch says will ultimately save lives.
“I’m not telling you something that you don’t know that cancer has a significant impact on people’s lives and the lives of the families that they’re involved in, and the effects can be devastating. But the steps we’re taking can reduce mortality rates and improve the outcomes, and I think that’s something that everyone can be happy about,” said Fitch.
Medical officer for the New Brunswick Cancer Network, Dr. Ashkar Kumar, says up until now most of the time when lung cancer is detected in New Brunswick it’s already reached a dangerous stage.
“In 2021, I think we recorded 860 new cases of lung cancer in the province and 600 deaths, and about 60 per cent of patients present at advanced stages, stage three or four, which means that the cancer has spread,” said Kumar.
He added that the lung screening will be fully integrated into the cancer screening program by the spring or summer of 2025.
