Maternal Health Clinic runs every day Mon-Fri, 9:00 am -4:00 pm. Please call our Midwife Tamara on 9172 0400
we offer pathology & scans
antenatal care, & postnatal ( 6 weeks baby checks)
family planning, baby weight check,
blood pressure check
Published on Wednesday, 3 August 2022 at 12:00:00 AM
Lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people[1].
World Lung Cancer Day, observed every August 1, provides an opportunity to raise awareness on lung cancer and its risk factors.
Lung cancer begins in the respiratory system and can spread to other parts of the body.
Lung cancer is a malignant growth that develops in the tissue of one or both of the lungs.
The 5 year survival rate of lung cancer for Indigenous Australians 11%, with Indigenous Australians being 1.8 times as likely to die from the cancer.
There are various risk factors that cam increase the risk of developing lung cancer. It is important to note that having these risk factors does not mean you will develop lung cancer and some people can still develop lung cancer without having any known risk factors. Factors that increases your risk of developing the disease includes:
The most common symptoms of lung cancer are:
Smoking is the largest risk factor for lung cancer. To help reduce smoking rates and facilitate smoking cessation in our communities, Wirraka Maya offers Tackling Indigenous Smoking Program to provide support and education on the risks of smoking.
To learn more about our Tackling Indigenous Smoking Program, please contact (08) 9172 0444.
[1] https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/cancer/cancer-in-indigenous-australians/contents/table-of-contents
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