A prominent Clare campaigner believes lives will undoubtedly be lost, unless the “perfect storm” of overcrowding at hospitals and delayed screening for cancer patients is challenged.
Today marks World Cancer Day, with people being encouraged to check themselves for signs and symptoms of the disease.
Held on February 4th ever year, World Cancer Day seeks to both raise awareness and empower people and Governments to take action to prevent cancer.
It’s the single biggest cause of death in this country, with almost 1 in 3 dying from some form of the disease.
The risk of getting cancer is influenced by a wide range of factors, including things we can’t change – like our age and genetics – and things that we can – like what we eat and whether we drink alcohol, exercise or protect our skin from the sun.
According to the World Health Organisation, between 30 and 50% of all cancers are preventable through changes to lifestyle and environmental factors, and we can all take steps to reduce our risk.
Breast Cancer Ireland is hoping to raise awareness of the 8 signs and symptoms of breast cancer today, and say that a fifth of women still don’t know how to check themselves.
Its CEO, Aisling Hurley outlines what women should be looking out for.
The Irish Cancer Society has warned though that higher numbers of late-stage cancers are being diagnosed as a result of screening delays and a Tulla nurse says extra resources and staff are needed urgently to tackle backlogs in oncology services that have arisen since the beginning of the pandemic.
But Anne Murphy, who’s an ovarian cancer survivor and a nurse with Slainte an Chlair, believes that being diagnosed with the disease in 2022 provides a ‘better outlook’ than a decade ago, and says scientific breakthroughs have been a gamechanger for patients.
