Cancer Society wants Govt to ring-fence funds to tackle men's cancer
The Irish Cancer Society is calling on the Government to ring-fence funding specifically for men's cancer services.
New research from the National Cancer Registry shows Irish men are more likely to get cancer than women, and are also at a higher risk of dying from the disease.
The National Cancer Registry estimates just over 9,000 deaths from cancer occur every year.
About 35,440 invasive cancers were diagnosed annually over the last two years.
The statistics show a man's risk of developing cancer is almost 25% higher than a woman's, while their risk of death is more than 30% higher.
Nearly 13,000 men are diagnosed with an invasive cancer each year, compared to just over 11,000 women.
The Irish Cancer Society's Head of Services, Donal Buggy, said a Government report on men's health still has not been implemented.
Mr Buggy said: "We have a national Men's Health Action plan which was published in 2017 and we've seen very little action on that.
"That addresses some of the things we've talked about, taking a general approach towards the provision of healthcare, the messaging as well."
He said we need to ask why the cancer message is not getting through to some men.
He said: "Four out of every 10 cancers are avoidable through changes in lifestyle, not smoking, reducing your alcohol intake, improving your exercise, your diet. These are all things again, more often than not, the outcomes for women are better than the outcomes for men."
Cancer is the most common cause of death in Ireland, accounting for almost a third of deaths in 2016.
Lung cancer was the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women.
