A NEW report says the risk of getting cancer is rising by to per cent every decade. According to the National Cancer Registry's first report, one in four Irish deaths is due to cancer.
A surprisingly high level of bowel cancer and lung cancer among women has been found, according to Dr Harry Comber, director of NCR. The mortality rate from lung cancer among women is twice the EU average.
"That is worrying considering that the level has been dropping for men," he said.
The incidence of bowel cancer was high in both men and women. "In an EU context we are a bit above average but it is a cancer that gets very little attention. It may have something to do with the genetic make-up of the Irish people. But most cancers are multi-factoral.
Skin cancer makes up a third of all cancers while the rest is cancer of the large bowel, breast and lung.
He said the incidence in Ireland was slightly higher than the EU average for women and slightly lower for men.
Two counties, Dublin and Kildare, showed slightly higher over-all levels, while figures were lowest in Kilkenny, Cork and Mullingar.
"There definitely seems to be an urban/rural difference in cancer incidence. In the city it is due to deprivation and you see that in the incidence of cancer right across the board. There is also a link here between a higher level of smoking in urban areas.
Nothing significant had been found to indicate that any environmental factors were causing a higher level of cancer in different areas of the country.
Any alleged link between geographical area and cancer was quite spurious". It had much more to do with lifestyle, said Dr Comber.
He stressed the need for early diagnosis. "There is a lot of potential in detecting cancers early. In the case of breast cancer we have found that a lot depends on where women are living.
"It is a strange phenomenon and something that we must look at further. Older women seem to have a very fatalistic attitude to a lump in the breast and automatically think it means mutilating surgery and death."
Dr Elizabeth Keane, chairwoman of the National Cancer Registry, said the effect of cancer on the health status of the Irish population was striking.
All aspects of the health service were faced with the challenge of reducing the burden of the disease, she said.