Lung cancer still biggest cancer killer, but death rates are improving, report finds – CBC

Fastest decline in lung cancer mortality reported to date in Canada

Nov 08, 2023

MaryAnn Bradley was bracing herself for a heart disease diagnosis when her cardiologist told her an X-ray showed a shadow on her right lung.

“I just thought I was going to die. That was it,” she said.

Bradley, now 68, had been pushing doctors to find out what was behind an unrelenting pain in the left side of her neck.

The St. Catharines, Ont., woman was “completely devastated” to learn she had Stage 1 lung cancer, especially because her father had died of the disease years before.

‘I’ve never looked back’
A few weeks later, a thoracic surgeon removed the tumour.

“Everything went fantastically well,” Bradley said.

She’s been cancer-free for 10 years now, and goes back for CT scans to make sure it’s caught early if it ever returns.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/lung-cancer-stats-1.7022181