Alan M. Dukes
Ceist:75 Mr. Dukes asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason the number of deaths from cancer per 1,000 of population increased from 1.4 to 2 here and from 1.5 to 2.2 in Northern Ireland between 1950 and 1998. [9896/01]
Written Answers. - Cancer Mortality.
According to information which has been provided by the National Cancer Registry, the death rate from cancer in the State increased from 147 to 218 deaths per 100,000 per annum from 1950 to 1998, an increase of 48%. The factors in this increase were: (1) population ageing: this accounted for 9% of the increase. After correction for age, mortality in men can be seen to have increased by 46% and that for women by 12%; (2) lung cancer, which has increased from 1.5 deaths per 100,000 in 1950 to 44.4 per 100,000 in 1998. This accounted for 40% of the increase; (3) prostate cancer accounted for 9% of the increase and breast cancer for 7%; (4) ovarian cancer and lymphoma each accounted for 6%, cancer of the pancreas for 5%, leukaemia and brain cancer 4% each, cancer of the bladder, cervix and melanoma for 2% each and cancer of the colon for 1%; (5) the increases in mortality from these cancers were partly counterbalanced by decreases in mortality from cancer of the stomach and rectum. I am not in a position to comment on data from Northern Ireland.