The benefits of early detection when it comes to different cancers

Screening programmes are vital, but there is also much that each of us can do in terms of self-checking when it comes to spotting the early signs of disease

All of us acquire moles, but detecting the benign ones from cancerous moles is something of a challenge.  Moles which are either bleeding and painful, looking more lumpy than possible, or seemingly irregular or changing in shape, are cause for concern.

Based on new European Commission data, Ireland has the second-highest rate of new cancer diagnoses out of all European Union nations, with more than 24,000 new cases every single year.

As Professor Patrick Redmond, a GP, associate professor at RCSI, and leading cancer care researcher notes, cancer is now the leading cause of mortality in Ireland, causing 28% of deaths each year: “It’s a big public health issue. It’s taken over from heart disease as the major contributor in terms of mortality in Ireland.”