EUROCARE-5 results show improved survival for all cancers in Ireland

The latest results of the EUROCARE project (De Angelis et al, 2013) show that survival in Ireland for all cancers studied increased between 2000-2007. Survival in Ireland was poorer than the European average for most common cancers. The poorest survival relative to other countries was for cancers of the stomach, kidney and ovary. Survival was above the European average for prostate, melanoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Cancer diagnosis and treatment have undergone major changes in recent decades in Ireland: a National Cancer Control Programme has commenced and screening for breast and cervical cancer have recently been introduced. The effects of this will not have been detected by this analysis as survival changes require the passage of time.

170,972 cancer patients from Ireland were included in EUROCARE-5, a large study covering patients diagnosed in 29 European countries from 2000-2007. The National Cancer Registry contributes to the EUROCARE project, including EUROCARE-5.

The EUROCARE project, led by the Istituto Tumori, Milan, has been under way for more than 20 years and aims to describe and explain geographical variation in cancer survival across Europe and encourage improvements in cancer care.