Denis Naughten
Question:13 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Health and Children the action he is taking to address the prevalence, detection and treatment of prostate cancer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22456/03]
Vol. 572 No. 2
13 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Health and Children the action he is taking to address the prevalence, detection and treatment of prostate cancer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22456/03]
As I informed the Deputy on 24 June 2003, the most recent report of the National Cancer Registry, Cancer in Ireland 1994 to 1998: Incidence, Mortality, Treatment and Survival finds that incidence rates of prostate cancer in men in all age groups and 65 and over showed statistically significant increases. However, mortality rates showed no evidence of an upward or downward time trend. The report states that the evidence of a divergence between incidence and mortality rates may be due to better case-finding, more incidental diagnoses or a genuine increase in survival. The report further states that the increase in incidence rates in men under 65 years of age appears to be a recent phenomenon and that it is notable how little mortality rates have changed over this same period of time. The report concludes that it is unclear from the figures if mortality trends will change much in the future but considers that it is unlikely that incidence rates will continue their steady climb.