Number of cancer survivors is increasing

The number of people living through or after cancer treatment is increasing in Ireland year on year, a new report has shown.

According to the National Cancer Registry Ireland’s (NCRI) Annual Report 2021, at the end of 2019, there were almost 200,000 people living in Ireland after a cancer diagnosis – that is around one in 25 of the Irish population.

The report focuses specifically on the period 1994-2019 and it suggests that major progress has been made to control the four main cancers – prostate, breast, lung and colorectal – that comprise of over half of all invasive tumours (excluding non-melanoma skin cancers).

Mortality rates have fallen for these four cancers, or in the case of lung cancer in females, have stabilised. Incidence rates have also fallen for both lung and colorectal cancers in both men and women.

“Earlier detection, including through screening, and better treatments are most likely contributing to the fall in cancer mortality, while the sustained efforts of those involved in primary cancer prevention, in particular tobacco control, are key factors in the reduction in cancer incidence rates,” the report stated.

However, it also noted that the incidence of breast cancer has risen significantly since 2014, while the incidence of prostate cancer in males has increased marginally since 2015.

“Improved detection methods and many aspects of our daily life, such as diet, obesity, alcohol and exercise are likely influences on the increase in these cancers,” the report suggested.

It also noted that the incidence of cervical cancer “continues to fall, reflecting the impact of the screening programme”.

However, it warned that from a service planning perspective, despite the successes in reducing incidence and mortality rates for some cancers, “the number of patients diagnosed with cancer every year is rising and will continue to rise in future decades as the Irish population continues to grow and the average age increases”.

The one anomaly in this is the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly during the first wave in spring 2020, when patients’ appointments were postponed, screening programmes were paused and acute services were reconfigured to reduce footfall in hospitals.

“A number of cancer registries have already reported that fewer cancer diagnoses were made during the first wave in 2020. There are clear signals that, as expected in Ireland, the number of cancer diagnoses in 2020 will be lower than in previous years,” the report pointed out.

It said that while the definitive percentage is not yet known, an analysis of the available data suggests that in 2020, the overall shortfall may be between 10% and 14%.

“Our report brings much good news of the progress to date in cancer prevention and care. However, as expected, preliminary data show that the numbers of cancer patient registrations in 2020 are reduced. The impact of this reduction is as yet unknown and will be a focus of future NCRI reports,” commented NCRI director, Prof Deirdre Murray.

The full report can be viewed here.