Statement from the Ministers of Health and Mental Health & Addictions on Lung Cancer Awareness Month
Statement
November 25, 2022 | Ottawa, ON | Health Canada
November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, an opportunity to raise awareness about lung cancer and the actions we can take to help prevent it and reduce the stigma associated with this disease. Every year, close to 30,000 Canadians are diagnosed with lung cancer. Not only is it the most commonly diagnosed cancer, it is also the leading cause of cancer death in Canada.
Getting a lung cancer diagnosis can bring up difficult emotions like fear and uncertainty for both the individual diagnosed and their loved ones. This may lead to mental health challenges. If you need mental health or substance use support, please talk to a doctor and reach out to family and friends for support. You can also find free and confidential mental health and substance use resources through the Wellness Together Canada portal as well as the PocketWell application.
Over the last five years, the Government of Canada has invested nearly $40 million in research related to lung cancer through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. With this funding, researchers across the country are leading advances in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of lung cancer. For example, researchers at the University of British Columbia are studying the lung microbiome to develop strategies for the early detection and treatment of lung cancer. At the University of Calgary, researchers are addressing the increased risk of lung cancer resulting from exposure to radon gas among people who have experienced lung injury from COVID-19.
Many risk factors can influence the development of lung cancer, including aging, air pollution, exposure to radon gas, and smoking. Regardless of what may have contributed to a person's diagnosis, all people affected by lung cancer deserve to be treated with compassion and dignity.
Thankfully, there are things we can do to lower our risk of developing chronic diseases like lung cancer. Testing your home for radon is easy to do to improve air quality and create a healthier home. You can either purchase a radon test kit or contact a certified radon professional to help you check the levels in your home and install a mitigation system if needed.
What's more, quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do for your lungs, overall health, and the health of those around you. That is why, through Canada's Tobacco Strategy, we have committed $330 million to help individuals quit or reduce the harm of their nicotine addiction and to protect the health of young people and people who do not smoke from the dangers of tobacco use.
The risk of developing lung cancer increases with how long a person has smoked, the age at which they started smoking and the number of cigarettes they smoked in their lifetime.
In addition to cigarettes, smoking cannabis is associated with a number of harmful effects on the lungs as carcinogenic chemicals found in tobacco smoke are also found in cannabis smoke.
Soon after your last cigarette, your body starts to renew itself, reducing your risk of developing lung cancer as well as other cancers, heart disease and breathing problems. Even after a cancer diagnosis, quitting smoking can help. It can improve the effectiveness of treatment and reduce the risk of reoccurrence.
Quitting smoking is not easy, but it is possible and support is available.
The Government of Canada has many resources to help Canadians quit and reduce the harms of smoking. We urge Canadians to contact the pan-Canadian toll-free quitline where trained specialists can help you develop a quit smoking plan, answer questions, and provide referrals to programs and services in your community, including information on how to access quit smoking medications that can help with the potential withdrawal symptoms. The quitline can be reached at 1-866-366-3667 or online at http://www.gosmokefree.gc.ca/quit.
For more information and resources to help you or someone you know quit smoking, including information to help find the approach that can work best for you, visit Canada.ca/quit-smoking.
Living smoke free is possible and it's a great way to keep your lungs and whole body healthy.
The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, P.C., M.P.
The Honourable Carolyn Bennett, P.C., M.P.
Contacts
Guillaume Bertrand
Senior Communications Advisor and Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos
Minister of Health
613-957-0200
Media Relations
Health Canada
613-957-2983
media@hc-sc.gc.ca
Maja Staka
Office of the Honourable Carolyn Bennett
Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health
343-552-5568