The emotional impact of a cancer diagnosis can affect patients and their families for years, a new report by the Irish Cancer Society (ICS) has shown.

The report looked at the ICS's counselling service and it revealed that while 48% of those accessing the service did so within 12 months of discovering they had cancer, 20% used the service within two years, and a further 20% used it between three and 10 years later.

"Counselling provides emotional and practical support to cancer survivors and their families. Coping with cancer can be difficult and families may experience many emotions such as anxiety, fear and sadness. It can be valuable to speak to a counsellor who can provide support in adapting to life after cancer and in finding a new ‘normal'," explained Dorothy Thomas, community support network coordinator at the ICS.

According to the report, 58% of the service's clients were cancer patients themselves, 14% were the children, siblings or friends of people with cancer and 12% were the cancer patient's partner or spouse.

"This further demonstrates the true impact of a cancer diagnosis on all of the family," Ms Thomas noted.

The ICS pointed out that when diagnosed with cancer, the main focus tends to be on the treatment plan. It is often only after treatment has finished that people realise the huge impact the disease has had on their lives. The emotional effects may not be felt for weeks, months or even years. This is where the counselling service comes in.

A network of community-based cancer support services, which are affiliated to the ICS, provide psychosocial care to patients and their families free of charge. The ICS granted almost €300,000 to support these centres nationwide in 2014. In that year, more than 1,000 cancer patients, survivors and their loved ones used the service, availing of over 6,000 counselling sessions.

Just over half of those using the service were aged between 45 and 64, while one in four was aged between 18 and 44. Some 5% were under the age of 18. Three in four clients were female.

This free service is reliant on donations from the public. The ICS's biggest annual fundraiser, Daffodil Day, takes place on March 11. For more information on the event, click here

For more information on the counselling service, click here