No equality in cancer treatment

CANCER sufferers living in disadvantaged areas are not doing as well in the health care system as those from more affluent areas, Minister for Health Mary Harney has confirmed.

She was speaking at the launch of a report which revealed that women living in better-off areas are more likely to develop breast cancer, but that those living in deprived areas are less likely to survive the disease.

Women and Cancer in Ireland 1994-2001 was compiled by the Women's Health Council and the National Cancer Registry. The report's authors said research should be carried out to determine whether this is due to lifestyle or access to screening, such as current costs of smear tests.

The minister said: "Across many areas in health care, people in disadvantaged areas do not do as well. We have an opportunity now to strengthen general practice in primary care in areas of disadvantage."

The report found that the death rate from cancer is higher in women in Ireland than women in all other European countries, except Denmark. Cancer is the second most common cause of death for women, with around 3,500 dying from it each year. It found rates of cancer of the lung, cervix, pancreas and stomach are higher for women living in more deprived areas.

The minister said: "We have an opportunity to strengthen general practice in primary care in areas of disadvantage."

Geraldine Luddy, director of the Women's Health Council, said: "For colorectal cancer, for example, those from more deprived areas are less likely to undergo surgery for their cancer and have lower survival rates than those from more affluent areas. This demonstrates the need for specialist diagnostic and treatment services to be made more accessible to women from the most disadvantaged sections of society."

Ms Harney said screening programmes will have an important part to play in reducing deaths from cervical and breast cancer. She said the 2007 target for the national roll-out of Breast-

Check will be met, and added that developing a national screening programme for cervical cancer will form an integral part of talks with the Irish Medical Organisation on new GP contracts.

The Tánaiste also expressed concern about the rates of lung cancer among young women, with 530 women dying from lung cancer each year. This is higher than most other EU countries. "While the smoking ban has been very successful, it seems that young women here are very inclined to smoke, whether its just to be cool or sometimes to stay slim. Our figures here are way out of sync with the rest of the European Union," she said.

The report said that while colorectal cancer incidence in Ireland and the United States are similar, mortality rates here are 26% higher. It recommends a pilot programme for colorectal cancer screening.