Galway specialist says 90 per cent of lung cancers are preventable

By SIOBHÃÂN HOLLIMAN LUNG cancer is one of the most lethal forms of cancer and kills more women in Ireland than breast cancer. Consultant medical oncologist at Galway University Hospitals Dr Paul Donnellan says while there is no sign of a cure for the disease, it can be prevented in 90 per cent of cases by people simply not smoking. While 80 per cent of those diagnosed with breast cancer live for five years and longer, only 11 per cent of lung cancer patients survive for five years after an initial diagnosis. [private] Dr Donnellan, a native of Moylough, says while lung cancer is deadly it is almost entirely preventable. 'If you don't smoke the chances of you getting the disease are reduced by 90 per cent,' he explained. He said most lung cancer cases occur in those aged over 65 years of age but he has had patients a lot younger. The Galway oncologist mentioned a father in his 40s who has been smoking since he was 14 years old and will now very likely die, leaving behind a young family. Bladder cancer Bladder cancer is also almost exclusively found among smokers while head and neck cancers, where a patient can lose their tongue or have to undergo hugely disfiguring surgery, are also prominent among those who smoke. The most recent figures show that 1,700 people die from lung cancer each year and of those 647 are women. This compares to 611 deaths for breast cancer in the same year. He says women who smoke are much more likely to die from lung cancer than from breast cancer but that they aren't always aware of that risk. 'If a patient is diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer, the average survival rate is less than a year,' pointed out Dr Donnellan. One in ten operable Surgery is the best treatment for lung cancer but the Galway oncologist points out that only ten per cent of cases are usually operable. The ideal is to catch the lethal cancer when it's in the early stages when a tumour is operable, but that's not always possible. While a rapid access clinic for lung problems opened at University Hospital Galway just over a year ago, this is mainly for those experiencing respiratory problems. No agreed screening There is a rapid access prostate screening clinic also for men at UHG, however there is no agreed method of screening that would help in the earlier diagnosis of lung cancer. However Dr Donnellan says that one possibility that might be developed further in Galway is carrying out CT scans on heavy smokers. The scan would be better at finding a small tumour than a normal chest x-ray which can only show up large tumours, when the cancer is at an advanced stage. The cancer specialist also feels that the ban on smoking on the Galway public hospital campuses is a very positive action by the HSE. The aim is to prevent the disease rather than treat and the smoke-free hospital campus not only benefits patients, staff and visitors, the oncologist feels it plays a key role in showing children that smoking will not be tolerated in a hospital. 'We need to get the message across that smoking is not normal. If we allow it close to a hospital then I believe we're telling children that doctors aren't too opposed to it,' he remarked. [/private]