The southwest region has cancer survival rates in line with national averages.
That’s according to the National Cancer Registry’s annual report, which looks at data for those diagnosed with cancer from 2020 to 2022.
For the first time, the registry has profiled cancer incidence and survival by health region; Kerry is in the southwest region.
According to the report, 44,073 cancers or related tumours were diagnosed each year between 2020 and 2022.
Prostate cancer was the most common type for men, while breast cancer was the most common cancer diagnosis for women.
On average, there were around 9,800 deaths per year from invasive cancer, with the highest death rate from lung cancer.
Over 220,000 people who were current or former cancer patients were alive in Ireland at the end of 2022.
The southwest region had an average of 3,778 cases diagnosed each year, accounting for 15% of all cases nationwide.
Cases of lung, colorectal, breast, and prostate cancer in the southwest also individually accounted for around 15% of cancer diagnoses nationally.
The report uses an age standardised and long-ranging period to show that cancer cases in the southwest had a survival rate in line with national averages.
Colorectal cancer had a 65% survival rate, while breast cancer had an 85% survival rate and prostate cancer had a 93.1% survival rate in the southwest.
Survival rates for lung cancer were just over 21%, which is also in line with the national rate.
The National Cancer Registry says regional variation in the figures can be due to environmental, socio-economic, and healthcare-related factors.
It says these underline the importance of targeted public health strategies and equitable healthcare systems, as proposed by Sláintecare.
