February 17, 2023
Dr. Alain Tremblay, medical lead for the Alberta Lung Cancer Screening Program, speaks with lung cancer patient advocate Diane Colton. She was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2011 and in 2014 was inspired to advocate against the stigma associated with lung cancer when she founded the charitable organization, Unmasking the Reality of Lung Cancer. The Alberta Lung Cancer Screening Program, a two-year pilot that launched last September, offers lung-cancer screening using low-dose computed tomography (CT) scans to high-risk Albertans.
Story by Vanessa Gomez | Photo by Leah Hennel
CALGARY — It came as a shock to Diane Colton when she was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2011.
“I was a former smoker, but had quit 23 years prior to my diagnosis,” says the Calgary resident. “It was unexpected.”
After presenting to the emergency room with a persistent cough that brought up blood, Colton was diagnosed with a lung tumour (stage 1B adenocarcinoma) and faced surgery.
While the procedure was a success, her cancer metastasized to the lymph nodes in 2012 and, in 2019, it spread to the brain. Despite these new challenges, Colton continues to work and attend her treatments, undergoing radiation, and is seeing remarkable progress.
Yet an unfortunate stigma is often associated with individuals who go through lung cancer.
“When I disclosed my lung cancer diagnoses to a client, the first question they asked was ‘Do you smoke?’”
It’s something Colton has been inspired to advocate against since 2014 when she founded a charity — Unmasking the Reality of Lung Cancer – an organization that aims to increase lung cancer education and promote prevention strategies.
One in 13 Albertans will develop lung cancer in their lifetime, and more than 1,500 will die each year as a result.
However, for high-risk Albertans with no symptoms, getting screened regularly can lower the risk of dying from lung cancer by almost 25 per cent.
“Lung cancer is the number-one cause of cancer death in our populations,” says Dr. Alain Tremblay, Medical Lead for the Alberta Lung Cancer Screening Program. “It presents late. By the time people get symptoms — the cough, chest pain, etc. — the tumour is often too late to cure. Whereas, if we find them early with screening, we can cure them.”
The Alberta Lung Cancer Screening Program (ALCSP), a two-year pilot that launched in September of 2022, now offers lung cancer screening using low-dose computed tomography (CT) scans to about 3,000 eligible Albertans. These may include people between the ages of 50 and 74, who smoke cigarettes, or who’ve quit after smoking for many years, and are a patient within one of three Primary Care Networks (PCN) — Mosaic (Calgary), Edmonton O-day’min, and Grande Prairie.
These locations were chosen for this initial pilot based on high smoking rates and population demographics. Eligible patients can be referred to the program by a primary care provider from one of these three participating PCNs.
“It’s better to know now than to find out when it’s too late” adds Colton. “Having a screening program is vital for people to have a much better quality of life and see their dreams come true.”
“In the last decade, there’s been a lot of new evidence suggesting lung cancer screening can save lives,” says Dr. Tremblay. “We’re hopeful that by the end of the two years, we’ll have enough successes and information to expand it to a full provincial program.”
As Colton continues her advocacy work, she’s grateful to be alive today.
“My treatments are working and I’m able to continue working. My journey has been phenomenal and I’m so fortunate.”
Visit screeningforlife.ca/lung for more information.
Albertans who need help to quit smoking can talk to their primary care provider about options to reduce or quit smoking.
If you want to quit, here are some options:
