Cancer rates are lower in Galway than rest of country

Date Published: 12-Dec-2011

By Dara Bradley

Incidents of cancer are relatively lower in Galway than other parts of the country, according to a major study of cancer prevalence.

The All-Ireland Cancer Atlas, published last Friday, analyses the geographical variation of 18 different cancers between 1995 and 2007, and the findings show that there is generally not a higher risk of developing cancer in Galway compared with other counties.

The author of the report, Harry Comber, Director of National Cancer Registry, told the Connacht Sentinel that nothing stands out as ‘out of the ordinary’ in relation to Galway.

He said: “In general, incidents of cancer are relatively lower” than elsewhere.

Mr Comber said that for the cancers that are caused by smoking or where smoking is a contributory factor, they tend to be more prevalent in Dublin and the East rather than Galway and the West because the prevalence of smoking is greater in the East compared with West.

Mr Comber did point out that parts of Galway, in particular west of the county, and Mayo had relatively higher incidence of cancer of the uterus among women.

The reasons for regional variations are varied – skin cancer tends to be more prevalent in the ‘sunny South East’ than it is in the North and North West.

The atlas identified that the highest risk for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma was highest for men in the northeast, Kerry and Galway.

Mr Comber said there was often no explanation as to why there is a relatively higher risk of cancer in one geographic area compared to another.

Read more in today’s Connacht Sentinel