One person, every ten minutes, diagnosed with cancer in Ireland

Almost 160 people a day are diagnosed with cancer in Ireland, that’s one person every ten minutes, or more than 57,000 people a year.

The Irish Cancer Society today launched a new hard hitting campaign telling people to 'Get' Cancer, which aims to get people talking about the disease.

Malcolm Kell, professor at Breast Check in the Mater Hospital, says survival rates have significantly improved: "I moved to Ireland as a junior doctor just over 20 years ago and at that time what we expected the survival and cure rate for cancer was probably around 40%, now it’s looking over 60%.

"So that magnitude is almost a 50% increase in our ability to cure patients of cancer which is massive.

"And we’re getting better at early diagnosis and improved treatment. All these things relate to an improved outcome for patients."

Find out why the Irish Cancer Society wants you to Get Cancer in 2017.#IWantToGetCancer pic.twitter.com/68Nhx7V6fi

— Irish Cancer Society (@IrishCancerSoc) January 4, 2017

Former rugby player and journalist Tony Ward is a prostate cancer survivor and is backing the ad campaign: “As men, we’ve got to change; we’ve got to talk more. Women are great at talking the talk and walking the walk, we do neither traditionally but that’s the message that we really need to get out there if we are truly to get cancer.