One in nine cases of cancer diagnosed in Ireland between 2009 and 2011 occurred in people under the age of 40, a report from the National Cancer Registry (NCRI) has shown.

According to the registry's 2014 Annual Report, cancer of the testis was the most common type of cancer found in males aged between 15 and 24, while non-melanoma skin cancer was the most common type in those aged 25 to 39.

Among women, in situ (early non-invasive) cervical cancer was the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women in the 15-24 age group and the 25-39 age group.

This high incidence of cervical cancer is probably due to ‘opportunistic, and more recently, organised cervical cancer screening activity' in Ireland, the NCRI said.

An average of 163 children were diagnosed with cancer every year between 2009 and 2011. The most common cancers among children were leukaemia and cancers of the brain and central nervous system.

The number of people under the age of 40 dying as a result of cancer has fallen significantly since 1994, ‘with an annual percentage fall of 2% in both men and women aged 25-39 years'.

The most common cancers to cause death in young people were brain cancer, leukaemia and lymphomas, especially in people under the age of 25.

Meanwhile the report also revealed that between 2009 and 2011, over 19,000 invasive cancer cases were diagnosed each year. Men had a one in three lifetime risk of developing the disease, while women had a one in four risk.

Excluding non-melanoma skin cancer, prostate cancer was the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men, and breast cancer in women. These were followed by colorectal cancer and lung cancer.

The rate of lung cancer fell in men during the 2009-2011 period, but rose in women and cases of melanoma in both men and women significantly increased.

The report also noted that survival from all common cancers increased in Ireland between 1995 and 2007, however, survival rates related to ovarian and kidney cancer are among the worst in the EU.

Altogether, 8,871 people died in 2011 as a result of cancer, making it the second leading cause of death in Ireland.

The full report can be viewed here