The National Cancer Registry has revealed that more people are surviving cancer than ever before. They released a report which stated that in Ireland, there are nearly 170,000 people who have survived cancer.
They shared that the Ireland’s cancer rates have stabilised. The number of women being diagnosed has fallen by 0.1 percent and the rate for men has fallen by 2 percent.
The 5-year-cancer survival rate has increased by nearly 20 percent since the 1990s. The survival rate for invasive cancers currently stands at 61.1 percent. Between the years 1994 and 1998, the rate stood at 44.2 percent.
The Minister for Health Simon Harris expressed, “I am delighted to see a reduction in the incidence of cancer. It is also most encouraging to see that survival rates are increasing for many cancers."
He stated that promoting cancer prevention was a top priority. He said, “My department and the HSE are continuing to promote healthy lifestyles, through initiatives to reduce tobacco use and through the broader Healthy Ireland programme.”
The report shared the six most common cancers among survivors. They include breast cancer, prostate cancer, and skin melanoma.
Since 2008, the rates for breast cancer in women have fallen, however, lung cancer rates are rising.
The report stated that the number of cancer cases had increased due to the higher life expectancy in Ireland.
“Partly reflecting increasing population and age, the number of new cancer cases increased almost year on year during most of the period 1994-2015.”
Donal Buggy from the Irish Cancer Society is pleased with the new report but has reminded the public that the number of people being diagnosed has grown.
The Journal reported, “The number of people in Ireland being diagnosed with this disease continues to rise. As such, we are facing a cancer epidemic."
He continued, “If our health system is not properly equipped to deal with this, our ability to deliver the best outcomes for patients will diminish.”
He shared that they have seen major progress in lung cancer cases, especially in men. He believed the decrease in smoking is the reason for the drop-in lung cancer cases.
Despite this news, cancer is the second most common cause of death in the country. Cancer causes nearly 9,000 deaths per annum in Ireland.
Over 40,000 people are diagnosed with cancer every year. The report found that there were approximately 22,320 invasive cancers diagnosed between 2015 and 2017.
