Irish cancer survival lowest in Europe

CANCER campaigners have criticised Government inaction after a major new study showed Ireland has some of the lowest survival rates from the disease in Europe.

Ireland came 16th out of 20 European countries when the survival rates for female cancer patients were analysed and 11th out of 20 when male survival rates were examined.

A little more than half (51.9%) of women here will still be alive five years after a diagnosis of cancer, while less than half (48.1%) of men here will make the five-year milestone.

The study, compiled by the National Cancer Institute in Milan, also shows that Ireland fares badly even when comparisons are restricted to countries spending similar amounts on health.

With average expenditure per person up to €1,500 per year here, Ireland is in the second lowest spending bracket in Europe. Spain, Portugal and Malta are also in that spending bracket but all have better survival rates.

The main findings of the study are that for the most common cancers — colorectal, lung, breast, prostate and ovarian cancer — five-year survival rates are highest in central Europe and the Nordic countries; reasonable in southern Europe, low in Ireland and Britain, and poor in eastern Europe.

Little difference was found between the regions for melanoma, testicular cancer and Hodgkin’s disease, except for Ireland which showed an unusually poor survival rate for Hodgkin’s disease — placed 14th out of the 16 countries which had statistics available.

Other comparisons show a patient diagnosed with stomach cancer here has an 18.8% chance of surviving five years compared with a European average of 24.9% and a European high (Italy) of 33.2%.

Comparisons for breast cancer five-year survival are 76.2% here, 79% on average in Europe and 93.4% in Iceland. For colorectal cancers, the figures are 54.3% here, 56.2% on average in Europe and 63.8% in Switzerland.

The Irish Cancer Society said it was disappointing that promises made in the National Strategy for Cancer Control last year to expand and improve cancer screening and treatment had not been acted upon.

Communications manager Jane Curtin said: “What’s interesting is that we have improved our performance as a country significantly in relation to breast cancer survival — from 72.8% to 76.2% in less than 10 years — and that’s the very area where money has been spent. It shows that if you put the investment in, you get the results, but we’re not seeing the investment across the board.”

Labour health spokes- woman Liz McManus also said the figures highlighted the Government’s failure to deliver on its promises: “Even the promise to appoint a national director to manage cancer services has not been delivered. There is no reason why we should be lagging behind in terms of survival rates for various forms of cancer. What these figures show is that there are people losing their lives to cancer in Ireland, who would survive if they lived elsewhere in Europe.”

The HSE said the design of a national cancer control programme was “well advanced” and it expected to recruit a national director of cancer control shortly.