Number of diagnosed cancer cases on the rise

LUNG cancer survival rates have failed to improve, according to a new report which shows people who contract all other types of cancer are living longer.

The report, launched today by the National Cancer Registry (NCR), also warns that the number of cancer cases diagnosed each year is on the increase.

Prostate cancer shows the largest increase, up 7% each year, compared to an overall annual increase in cancer rates of 2%. However, survival rates among prostate cancer sufferers also grew by 12%, which experts attribute to greater uptake of Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) testing. The test can highlight a greater risk of contracting the illness in healthy men.

Lung cancer among men is the only cancer which didn’t record any improvement in survival rates, according to today’s figures. It is the most common cancer killer among Irish men. Breast cancer is the biggest killer among Irish women. NCR director Dr Harry Comber said lung cancer has a “very bleak outlook” and not smoking was the best prevention.

However, he said, in order to improve the overall cancer survival rate, colorectal cancer had to be targeted. “Treatment for lung cancer isn’t very effective so prevention is the best solution. If we are seeking to improve cancer survival, we could, however, develop colorectal screening like in Britain, US and France.”

The NCR warned that the cancer burden in Ireland will continue to increase as the population ages.

The most recent NCR analysis of Irish and European figures show that, on average, just 8.1% of Irish men are alive five years after lung cancer diagnosis compared to a European average of 11.3%

In the ‘Cancer in Ireland. 1994-2000 Report’, which the NCR will launch in the Shelbourne Hotel today, the board compared five-year survival rates among those who were diagnosed between 1995 and 1997 with those who were diagnosed between 1998 and 2000.

Breast cancer survival rates among women improved from 73% to 78% while female colorectal or bowel cancer survival rates rose by 4% to 55%.

The report showed an 8% increase in survival rates for male patients with colorectal cancer, with 55% of men diagnosed in the late ’90s still alive five years later.