One third of Irish people do little to avoid contracting cancer despite knowing how to minimise the risks of getting the disease, according to a survey released today. The report, which was commissioned by the Irish Cancer Society, says that over 7,000 Irish people die every year from cancer and 57 new cases of the disease are diagnosed every day.
The survey also reveals that 63% of people had not taken medical tests in the last two years to reduce cancer and men were almost twice as likely as women not to have taken a test. In addition, only one in five of those aged over 65 had undertaken a complete medical check-up in the previous two years even though almost half of all cancers occur in the over 65's. Just 6% of the population had a test for the second most common cancer in Ireland, bowel cancer.
The Irish Cancer Society hopes to raise £1.3 million on Daffodil Day tomorrow to finance free specialist cancer nursing services.
