It is the deadliest cancer in the country, killing more Australians than breast and prostate cancers combined.
But unlike them, there is no national screening program to detect lung cancer, so by the time it is picked up it is often too late.
"Tragically, at the moment, nearly 75 per cent [of cases] are diagnosed at stage 3 and stage 4 where treatment options are much more limited than it would be if we were able to diagnose at stage 1 and 2," Lung Foundation Australia CEO Mark Brooke said.
In the countdown to the federal election, advocates are calling for both major parties to commit to a national screening program.
The Lung Foundation is pushing for a $60 million pilot screening program that would allow people aged over 55 with a history of smoking to access a low-dose CT scan.
It promises to save 10,000 Australians over the next decade.
"Cancer Australia, the Department of Health's principal cancer group, has recommended a lung cancer screening program in Australia and that's a huge step forward," Mr Brooke said.
"A $60 million investment in lung cancer screening is a pittance compared to the amount that all types of governments over the past 30 years have reaped in terms of cigarettes [taxes]."
A silent killer
Townsville man Ian Emmerson believes a screening program could have made all the difference to him.
His life was turned upside down in December when, after a normal shift at work, he felt like someone was sitting on his chest.
The symptoms came completely out of the blue.
The 58-year-old was urgently sent for scans.
"The doctor said 'I'm a bit worried about that blur that's on your right lung'," Mr Emmerson said.
The doctor was right to be worried. Further investigations revealed Mr Emmerson had a 7.5 centimetre cancer on his right lung and five spots on his kidneys.
"I've been a smoker so you can't expect too much.
"Out of the blue my eyes will start burning and I just go and have a cry to myself because you think of your kids and all that sort of stuff."
The husband and father-of-three was given two years to live.
He has undergone seven bouts of chemo and regular immunotherapy is showing some positive results.
Dr Abhishek Joshi is a medical oncologist at Townsville ICON Cancer Care and Townsville University Hospital.
He said just under a quarter of the patients he saw at his Townsville clinic had lung cancer like Mr Emmerson.
Dr Joshi said a national screening program needed to start "yesterday" to not only potentially save lives, but also save the health system millions of dollars.
"An advanced lung cancer patient who needs ongoing immunotherapy for at least two years funded by the taxpayers' money … will cost close to $200,000," he said.
"If that cancer had've been picked up early you could have saved that cost, and that's just one patient."
In a statement, Health Minister Greg Hunt said the Coalition was still awaiting the results of a national inquiry looking at the feasibility and desirability of a national lung cancer screening program and would commit to it if the Medical Expert Panel approved.
Labor said it would establish the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce to "deliver results for patients, including better management of ongoing health conditions like cancer".
While it is too late for Mr Emmerson, he is throwing his support behind a national screening program.
"It's not as if this cancer grew last week," he said.
Suffering from the stigma
Modelling from the Lung Foundation anticipates up to 170,000 Australians will be diagnosed with lung cancer over the next decade and will remain the leading cause of cancer death for the next 20 years.
Mr Brooke believes the stigma associated with lung cancer may have prohibited it from receiving the funding it deserved.
"We are now seeing 50 years of smoking addiction really come to pass."
