World Cancer Day: Everything you need to know about Ireland's most common cancers
World Cancer Day is on February 4.
Almost 43,500 people in Ireland get cancer every year and cancer prevention manager at the Irish Cancer Society, Kevin O’Hagan says the number of cases is on the rise.
Ireland has one of the highest rates of cancer in the world, after Australia and New Zealand, O'Hagan says, and has the highest cancer incidence in the EU, according to the European Commission.
According to the first Country Cancer Profiles, released ahead of World Cancer Day as part of Europe's Beating Cancer Plan, the estimated new cancer diagnoses in Ireland are higher than EU averages.
Our ageing population and ability to record, register and detect cancers more quickly have contributed to our incidence rate, as have lifestyle changes over the past number of years.
“We're aware that about four in ten cancers are preventable. Certainly, we can reduce the risk of some of these cancers," says Kevin O’Hagan.
"The things that are within our control are certainly important — smoking and being active and healthy diet, avoiding alcohol. We know that alcohol is linked to about 900 cases per year, seven different types of cancer."
Prostate - 30%
Colorectal - 11%
Lung - 11%
Melanoma of the skin - 4%
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma - 4%
Breast - 30%
Lung - 11%
Colorectal - 10%
Melanoma of the skin - 5%
Uterus -5%
O'Hagan says there are some general warning signs to consider (see the full breakdown of symptoms below).
"If something is persistent and lasts for maybe two or three weeks…the other one is something you just can't explain — a lump or cough or bleeding, weight loss, or lack of energy, but something that has changed in your body," advises O'Hagan.
- If you notice any unusual changes in how your body works, talk to your doctor. The chances are it will not be cancer, but getting it checked is not wasting anyone’s time: it could save your life. Helpful information and advice are available at www.Cancer.ie, and you can contact an Irish Cancer Society nurse at SupportLine@IrishCancer.ie
Skin cancer is the most common cancer in Ireland with over 13,000 new cases diagnosed every year. This number is anticipated to double by 2040 but O’Hagan says, it is possibly the “most preventable of all the cancers”.
“It's simply following a basic SunSmart code and protecting your skin from getting sunburned and avoiding sunbeds. There are very clear things that are within our control and if we make those choices or make those changes to our lifestyle, that can certainly reduce our risk of cancer.”
Regular sun holidays, working outdoors and severe sunburn or blistering as a child or teen may increase your risk of developing skin cancer.
The two main groups are non-melanoma skin cancers and melanoma skin cancer. Non-melanoma skin cancers are the most common and it is estimated that approximately 12,000 cases were diagnosed in Ireland between 2018 and 2020.
- symmetrical moles: A change in shape - one half is unlike the other.
- order of a mole: A change in the edges - they look blurred or jagged.
- olour: A change in the colour within the mole such as shades of tan, brown, black or even white, red or blue.
- iameter (width): Any change in size. Most melanomas are larger than 6mm (the size of the top of a pencil) and keep growing.
- volving: Melanoma moles often change.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in men in Ireland with approximately 3,900 men diagnosed each year.
The risk of prostate cancer increases with age and typically affects men over 50. The risk is also higher if your brother or father has prostate cancer or if a family member developed it at a young age. If more than one of your relatives has the disease, you are at higher risk. Black men are also at a higher risk of developing prostate cancer.
In order to reduce your risk, it is important to be of a healthy weight, have a healthy diet, be physically active and know your family history.
With prostate cancer, it often takes a long time for symptoms to develop if at all and they typically only develop when your bladder or the tube that drains urine is disturbed. This means it is prostate urinary symptoms that are typically experienced including, passing urine more often and especially at nighttime, issues with starting or stopping the flow of urine, and pain when passing urine.
- Blood in urine or semen
- Feeling like you have not fully emptied your bladder
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in Ireland, with more than 3,500 women diagnosed with it each year. It is most common in women over 50, but younger women can also get it.
There are a number of risk factors that can increase your chances of getting breast cancer, including drinking alcohol. Alcohol causes around one in 13 breast cancers diagnosed in Ireland each year. People who are physically active and have a healthy diet also have a lower risk of breast cancer. Breastfeeding also decreases your risk.
- If you previously were diagnosed with breast cancer or atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH).
- Having no children or having children past the age of 30 can slightly increase your risk.
- If your breasts have more non-fatty or dense tissue. You can’t tell if this is the case by looking at or feeling your breasts and while there is a lot we don’t know about the link between density and cancer, research is ongoing.
- Your risk is higher if a close family member had breast cancer, particularly if that family member was under the age of 50 when diagnosed, or if more than one relative had it.
- If you started your period early (before 12) or started your menopause late.
- Having had radiotherapy to your chest area can increase your risk.
- A lump or thickening in your breast/armpit
- A change in the size or shape of your breast
- A change in the skin of your breast, like redness or dimpling
- A breast abscess or boil
- A change in your nipple
- An unusual discharge from one or both nipples
- A change on or in the nipple area — like a rash or crusted skin
- Swelling in your armpit or around the collarbone area
- Soreness or warmth
- A red scaly rash on one nipple, which may itch or burn
More than 2,800 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer in Ireland each year. Risk factors that increase the chance of developing this type of cancer include age (with most people being over 50); and if there is a family history of bowel cancer.
If you or a family member have an inherited bowel condition this can also increase your chances of developing bowel cancer, or if you have a history of a bowel condition such as benign polyps, ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease. Obesity and a diet high in fat and red meat and low in fibre, fruit and veg can increase the risk.
- A lasting change in your bowel habits – going more often, etc.
- Blood in your poo or bleeding from your back passage
- Pain or discomfort in your stomach or back passage
- Trapped wind or feeling of fullness
- A lump in your stomach area or rectum
- Feeling you have not fully emptied your bowel after going to the toilet
- Unexplained weight loss
- Fatigue and breathlessness
BowelScreen offers screening to women and men aged 60 to 69 every two years. For details, contact Bowel Screen 1800 45 45 55 or visit www.bowelscreen.ie
Almost 2,700 people are diagnosed with lung cancer in Ireland each year.
Smoking is a major factor contributing to the risk of developing cancer. Despite increased awareness about the risks, during the pandemic years, there was a slight increase in the number of people smoking.
“With electronic cigarettes, young people are getting addicted to nicotine," says O'Hagan. "But because of that addiction to nicotine, they're then moving on to cigarettes. So then that obviously has an impact on smoking rates."
Smoking is the main risk factor, causing nine in every 10 lung cancers, but there are other risk factors too, including air pollution, and certain chemicals such as uranium, asbestos, nickel — and radon gas. If a parent or sibling has had cancer that started in their lungs, your risk doubles.
While the risk is much less than if you smoke yourself, inhaling other people’s cigarette smoke can also increase the risk of lung cancer.
- Wheezing or difficulty breathing
- A cough that doesn’t go away, or a change in a long-term cough
- Repeated chest infections that won’t go away
- Coughing up blood-stained phlegm
- A pain in your chest, especially when you cough or inhale
- Swelling around the face and neck
- Difficulty swallowing
- Feeling more tired than usual
- A loss of appetite or weight loss
In Ireland, approximately 900 people are diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma every year. It is a cancer of the lymphatic system and can occur at any age, though it is more common in older people. There are two types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) — low grade and high grade.
While the cause is unknown, there are some factors that can increase your risk of developing NHL including gender. It is more common in men but the reason for this is unknown.
In a small number of cases, working with chemicals like insecticides and herbicides seems to increase the risk of developing lymphoma.
If you develop a condition that affects your immune system, such as rheumatoid arthritis, coeliac disease, Sjögren’s syndrome, lupus, and psoriasis — you might be more at risk of getting lymphoma later in life.
If your immunity is reduced due to an illness, lymphomas are more likely to form. Reduced immunity can be caused by an illness such as HIV or if you have been treated for another cancer.
Certain viruses can help lymphoma to develop, like Epstein–Barr virus and hepatitis C. Bacterial infections can also be responsible for certain types of lymphoma.
The main symptoms are a painless swelling in the lymph nodes in one area (like your neck, armpit, or groin) but those with low-grade NHL may have few or no symptoms.
- Night sweats
- High temperatures or fevers
- Loss of appetite
- Unexplained weight loss
- Fatigue
- Itchy skin
- Skin rash
In Ireland, almost 550 women are diagnosed with cancer of the womb or uterus (also called uterine cancer) each year. Most womb cancers occur in women aged between 50 and 64, with endometrial cancer being the most common type.
Age is a risk factor with cancer of the womb more common in women after menopause between the ages of 50 and 64. Being overweight also increases the risk as does taking estrogen-only HRT for a long period after menopause. If you started your periods early or menopause late, this is another risk factor.
If you have never been pregnant, your risk of womb cancer is increased. This is also the case if you have polycystic ovaries. Family history of womb cancer in a first-degree relative (i.e mother, sister or daughter) is also a risk factor while inheriting a faulty gene also raises your risk of developing womb or bowel cancer.
- Bleeding after the menopause
- Bleeding between periods
- Heavier periods than normal
- Abnormal vaginal discharge
- Pain in your lower abdomen or the back of your legs
- Discomfort or pain during sex
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