Stigma and Nihilism In Lung Cancer : A Call to Action

In this TOGA Podcast and in recognising Lung Cancer Awareness month 2021, Mel Moore, TOGA Education Chair and Medical Oncologist at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, discusses the importance of treating lung cancer patients with respect, dignity and withholding the often associated judgement. The internal guilt and the pain caused by a diagnosis of lung cancer is amplified by the stigma that exists in society today, including the medical profession. The societal view that lung cancer is self-inflicted and therefore deserved, leads to stigma. Perceptions about the course and outcome of lung cancer as an illness also contribute to this stigma, and to therapeutic nihilism in the medical community. The unconscious bias and its impact on lung cancer patients is discussed as well as the high levels of emotional distress that contribute to depression and anxiety for those diagnosed. It’s time to challenge the stereotype and address the existing nihilism to ensure research, treatment and care is not negatively impacted on the basis of existing prejudice. Briony Scott, Governance Chair at TOGA with her own personal experience with lung cancer, Suzanne Chambers Executive Dean of Health Sciences at ACU and Stewart Dunn, Professor of Psychological Medicine at University of Sydney, join Mel in the conversation.

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