Controversial cancer campaign has led to surge in inquiries

A controversial advertisement by the Irish Cancer Society has led to a 100 per cent surge in inquiries for its services, the society has said.

The society had received a series of complaints about one of the advertisements in its new publicity campaign, which showed a picture of a man accompanied by the words: “I want to get cancer.”

The charity has said it did not set out to deliberately cause distress to anyone affected by cancer with the advertisement.

Responding to criticism, the society’s head of communications, Gráinne O’Rourke, said the campaign aimed to encourage people to “understand” the illness, rather than contract it.

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The society said it had seen a surge in demand for its information and support services following the launch of the campaign.

The advertisement, which appeared on the front page of Tuesday’s Irish Times and other publications, was followed the next day by another which read: “I want to get cancer and wring its bloody neck.”

The charity said that, since posting a 40-second advert for the campaign on its Facebook page, it has been viewed more than 600,000 times, and "the high viewership has had a direct and immediate impact on the number of people availing of our services".

It said its Cancer Nurseline had seen a 100 per cent increase in inquiries on Wednesday, compared with the daily average.

The inquiries were in relation to screening for cancer, lifestyle factors to reduce cancer risk and cancer prevention.

There was also an increase in inquiries from cancer patients looking for more information about their cancer diagnosis, the side-effects of treatment and psychological supports during and following treatment.

Public engagement

Ms O’Rourke said the high level of public engagement with the charity’s services showed the campaign is working.

“We know our campaign has been provocative. But thanks to it, conversations about cancer are taking place in homes across the country.

“People are picking up the phone and going online because they want to ‘get cancer’ by getting informed,” she said.

“We’re particularly pleased that our Cancer Nurseline nurses are speaking to more and more people as a result of this campaign. We know that one in four cancers can be prevented.

“If, as a result of ‘I want to get cancer’, even one more person ‘gets cancer’ by attending their cancer screening appointment, or making a lifestyle change that reduced their risk of contracting the disease, then it would have been all worth it.”

Members of the public can speak to a cancer nurse on any aspect of the disease by calling the Irish Cancer Society’s Cancer Nurseline on 1800-200700, by emailing cancernurseline@irishcancer.ie or by dropping into one of the society’s 13 daffodil centres in hospitals nationwide.

Information on cancer and the charity's support services is also available online.