Close to 100 per cent of people who are diagnosed with non-melanoma skin cancer survive for at least five years after their diagnosis, according to a new report.
For melanoma, the more serious type of skin cancer, survival rates have improved significantly to 92 per cent – meaning about nine out of 10 patients survive for at least five years, the National Cancer Registry of Ireland report has found.
More than 11,000 people in Ireland are diagnosed with skin cancer each year, making it the most common cancer in this country. About nine out of 10 cases involve non-melanoma skin cancers, while the other cases include melanoma.
Some 270 people die from skin cancer each year in Ireland.
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According to the report, men are 1.6 times more likely than women to die from melanoma and 2.3 times more likely to die from non-melanoma skin cancer.
Professor Deirdre Murray, director of the National Cancer Registry, said understanding skin cancer trends is “vital for public health awareness and prevention strategies”.
She added: “Many of these cancers could be prevented with wider adoption of safe sun practices in our population and avoidance of sunbeds.”
The incidence rate of certain non-melanoma skin cancers, such as squamous cell carcinoma, in Ireland is decreasing in women and the rate for other forms, such as basal cell carcinoma, is stabilising. The incidence rate for melanoma in women, however, continues to increase.
For men, the incidence rate of squamous cell carcinoma is stabilising, while the basal cell carcinoma incidence rate is increasing at a slower pace. For melanoma, the incidence rate in men has stopped increasing since 2015.
Survival rates are so high because most skin cancers are caught early, which makes them much easier to treat successfully.
