Source: Asthma and Respiratory Foundation
Jane had no symptoms and no warning signs when she was diagnosed with New Zealand’s deadliest cancer.
Jane, a 58-year-old ex-smoker from Auckland, had taken part in a targeted lung cancer screening research programme, which caught her cancer early. She is one of a growing number of Kiwis now living longer because of early detection from this programme.
The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ is calling on the next Government to prioritise funding a nationwide programme from 2028 onwards.
Jane was referred into the programme by her GP after over 30 years of smoking placed her at higher risk.
“I had no symptoms, so had no reason to believe I had lung cancer, but I was quietly relieved to join the programme as I always carried a underlying anxiety that one day I might get the disease.”
Jane had a low-dose CT scan in May 2025, a month after her referral to the programme. Two weeks later, she got the call no one wants to get from their GP.
The scan had detected a lesion on her right lung, which was later confirmed as Stage 1 lung cancer.
She was referred to specialists, and minimally invasive keyhole surgery quickly followed to remove a lobe of her lung.
“It all happened so fast,” she says.
“I didn’t have to go through radiation or chemotherapy because the cancer was caught early and hadn’t spread anywhere else.
“I’m so grateful that I was asked to be part of the research programme – it saved my life.”
Just 14 weeks from her invitation to participate in the programme, Jane was cancer-free.
Jane continues to focus on her recovery, and is still processing how close she came to a very different outcome.
“I think about it a lot – what if I hadn’t been in that programme?” she says.
“It’s frightening to think that I had lung cancer and was completely unaware of it.
“I believe that other people like myself deserve the same chance as I had.”
Jane is one of many Kiwis taking part in the research programme whose cancers have been detected through screening – often before symptoms appeared, when treatment is far more effective.
When Jane was growing up, smoking was “almost a rite of passage”, she says.
“It seemed like all of the film stars and rock stars smoked in the 1980s.
“Most of my friends smoked – we thought it was cool,” Jane says.
“As a young girl, I could walk into a diary and buy cigarettes myself. It was a different time.”
Foundation Chief Executive Ms Letitia Harding says Jane’s experience highlights the urgent need for a nationally funded programme.
“Jane’s story is proof that lung cancer screening saves lives.
“While smoking rates have dropped from 30 per cent to 8 per cent over the past three decades, former smokers remain at risk of lung cancer for several decades after they stop smoking – and they shouldn’t miss out on life-saving screening because of stigma or shame,” she says.
“Everyone deserves the chance to detect cancer early and be treated.”
Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer in New Zealand – more than breast, prostate and melanoma cancer deaths combined – largely because it is often diagnosed too late.
“We have a real opportunity to change that,” Ms Harding says.
A nationwide targeted risk-based screening programme focussing on people aged 50 to 74 who have ever smoked would mean more cancers are found earlier, she says.
“When caught early, treatment is more effective and survival rates are significantly higher.”
Early detection also makes financial sense for the health system, she says.
“Treating lung cancer at a late stage is complex and costly.
“Treatment is often less invasive and far less expensive if found in the early stages, so it’s better for patients and it reduces pressure on our health system.”
The Foundation is calling on the government to implement the proposed programme within two years, and for this to be included in the 2027 Budget.
– Jane’s name has been changed to protect her identity.