Australian sports presenter Mel McLaughlin says she has stage 2 lung cancer.
On last night’s 7 News bulletin, the 46-year-old said she was diagnosed with the disease in December and had surgery to remove half of her left lung.
McLaughlin said the ordeal had been “triggering and traumatic” due to her older sister having died from lung cancer in 2015 at age 39.
“It’s a lot of emotions,” she said.
“Obviously, you don’t want to worry anyone.
“In our family, I didn’t want anyone to think lung cancer meant death; we had one example, and we lost her.“
The presenter has been absent from TV screens since the Sydney Ashes cricket Test at the start of January while undergoing treatment.
McLaughlin revealed she was treated in the same ward of North Shore Hospital where she watched her sister lose her life.
“I cried, and I laughed, I was like, this has to be a joke.”
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The presenter said she wanted to talk about her diagnosis now to raise awareness.
Even though lung cancer is traditionally associated with smoking, McLaughlin is a lifelong non-smoker.
“It’s got a terrible stigma,” she said.
“I feel like I owe it to my sister, and I owe it to people who could get something out of this.”
Weeks on from the operation, McLaughlin said her recovery was “slow but good”. She hopes to be back on air to host the Commonwealth Games in July.
How common is lung cancer in Australia?
Lung cancer is the fifth-most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia, but the deadliest.
It is caused by abnormal cells growing and multiplying in an uncontrolled way.
The Cancer Council says lung cancer is responsible for almost one in five cancer deaths in the country.
The organisation estimated that 15,122 people were diagnosed with lung cancer in 2024. The average age at diagnosis is 72.
What are the symptoms of lung cancer?
The Cancer Council says lung cancer symptoms include:
- Shortness of breath
- Coughing or spitting up blood
- Changes to the voice, such as hoarseness
- Chest pain
- A new cough that does not go away
- A chest infection that lasts more than three weeks or keeps coming back
- Enlarged fingertips
- Loss of appetite
- Unexplained weight loss
- Tiredness
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