Dubai mother with lung cancer despite never smoking urges others to have check-up

Dubai resident Karen Johnson had never smoked a cigarette in her life, so screening for lung cancer was not something that crossed her mind.

But when she went to see a doctor in January last year over a persistent cough, she was told she had stage-four lung cancer.

Medics said it probably took two years before the cancer manifested itself and that her recovery chances would be much higher today if only she had been screened earlier.

Ms Johnson, 50, a British mother of two, described it as “probably the biggest shock being told you have lung cancer when you are not a smoker".

“I would never have thought that I would ever get lung cancer and it is one of the cancers that I would never get checked for,” she said.

The shock was so severe that Ms Johnson immediately went into denial.

“I remember meeting my doctor for the very first time and he asked me if I understood why I was there.

“I said yes. I told him that there is some cancer in my body and that it can be removed and that everything is going to be OK.”

Ms Johnson said she kept telling herself that the cancer was in its early days.

Her doctor had to break the news it was stage four lung cancer and that they could not operate and remove the abnormal cells and tumours.

There are five stages — from zero to four — and zero and one are easier to treat. Patients in the early stages have a better outlook than those fighting stages two, three or four.

Ms Johnson said the first concern that came to her mind was how much time she had left.

Her chances of remission are low as the cancer has spread throughout her body. However, she remains optimistic.

“My message to anyone suffering from cancer is — do what you love and what makes you happy,” she said.

“I have found that the more I get into my cancer journey, the more confident I get in doing this.

“Celebrate every step forward and try not to get disappointed with an inevitable step back. Remember, there is always a plan; have hope and believe in it, no matter how difficult it may seem at times.”

She urged others to go for screening regularly.

“Everybody should get checked,” she said.

Dr Humaid Al Shamsi, consultant medical oncologist and president of the Emirates Oncology Society, who is treating Ms Johnson, said that screening for lung cancer should be part of annual cancer screenings, particularly for those aged 50 and above.

Data from the World Health Organisation shows lung cancer continues to be the single leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. It led to 1.8 million deaths globally in 2020, almost double the fatalities caused by colon and rectal cancer, which were next on the list with 935,000 deaths. There were 2.21 million cases of lung cancer last year.

In 2017, lung cancer accounted for 7.7 per cent of all cancers in the UAE and was the third leading cause of death.

“The belief that lung cancer is associated with smoking is not correct. Many non-smokers have developed the disease,” Dr Al Shamsi said.

“We need to establish clear guidelines that every suspected case of lung cancer is referred to a specialist for early diagnosis, with subsequent management based on the recommendations.”

About 80 per cent of lung cancer patients in the UAE are diagnosed at a later stage, making treatment less effective and survival outcomes low.

“Effective screening at a primary care setting can be crucial for early diagnosis,” he said.

In June this year, the UAE approved a new breakthrough lung cancer drug, Lumakras, after it received the nod from the US Food and Drug Administration.

It focuses on non-small cell lung cancer whose tumours have a specific type of genetic mutation called Kras G12C.

Up to 85 per cent of lung cancers are non-small cell lung cancer, while the term metastatic means it has spread.

In a study of the drug's effectiveness encompassing 124 patients, 36 per cent had their tumours shrink or disappear.

New drug to help fight lung cancer — in pictures