More people surviving cancer in Northern Ireland
Despite the rising incidence of cancer in Northern Ireland, the number of people surviving the disease in the country is increasing significantly year on year.
Each year there are between 50-60 men and women who survive the deadly effects of cancer who previously would have died.
The survival rates in Northern Ireland for cancers including breast and colorectal are among the best in the UK, and its patients are benefiting from improved treatment outcomes by up to four per cent better than those for England and Wales.
The figures have been revealed as Queen's University Belfast accepted a Diamond Jubilee Queen's Anniversary Prize at Buckingham Palace, in recognition of its leadership of the Northern Ireland Comprehensive Cancer Services (CCS) programme.
The CCS programme has been credited with driving forward the improvements in cancer survival in Northern Ireland. It is a collaboration led by Queen's University in partnership with the Department of Health and the five Northern Ireland Health Trusts with support from the medical research industry.
The programme has resulted in the reorganisation of cancer services across Northern Ireland, and investment of more than £200 million in infrastructure and personnel for treatment and research by the University and the health service.
The CCS programme was also recently described by the distinguished medical journal, The Oncologist, as 'life-extending research that is emblematic of the way cancer medicine should be conducted in the 21st century.'
Accepting the prize, Professor Patrick Johnston, Dean of the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, said: "Despite the rising incidence rates of cancer, between 1993 and 2009, the number of men dying from cancer has gone down by 1.3 per cent and the number of women by 0.9 per cent. Some of our survivors are currently alive and well a significant number of years after the kind of cancer that not so long ago would have taken them from us.
"Cancer no longer needs to be seen as an inevitable death sentence. In many instances it can now be viewed instead as a chronic disease."
He added: "This award underpins our reputation as a global centre of excellence for cancer care. To receive it is a singular honour, not just for Queen's but for the whole of Northern Ireland and in particular all the fundraisers, the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, the five Northern Ireland Health and Social Care Trusts and our supporters from the national and international medical research industry.
"Our strength lies in a multidisciplinary approach teams of scientists and clinicians working together across academic and NHS boundaries on behalf of cancer patients and their families."
Queen's Vice Chancellor Professor Sir Peter Gregson said: "Queen's is committed to high quality translational research. We are seeing innovations which are providing life-saving and life-enhancing results, reflecting our drive to become a global force in the fight against cancer."
The pillars of the CCS programme are the Clinical Cancer Centre at Belfast City Hospital, the Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology, the Cancer Research Programme at Queen's and the University's Northern Ireland Cancer Registry which provides vital information about research and outcomes.
Provided by Queen's University Belfast
-
Cancer risk in Northern Ireland lower than the Republic of Ireland
Dec 09, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Almost half of cancer survivors have ill health in later years
Oct 11, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Survival rates for cancer rise across Ireland
Apr 24, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Young women warned of lung cancer risks
Apr 03, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Scientists prove regular aspirin intake halves cancer risk
Oct 28, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Motion perception revisited: High Phi effect challenges established motion perception assumptions
Apr 23, 2013 |
3 / 5 (2) |
2
-
Anything you can do I can do better: Neuromolecular foundations of the superiority illusion (Update)
Apr 02, 2013 |
4.5 / 5 (11) |
5
-
The visual system as economist: Neural resource allocation in visual adaptation
Mar 30, 2013 |
5 / 5 (2) |
9
-
Separate lives: Neuronal and organismal lifespans decoupled
Mar 27, 2013 |
4.9 / 5 (8) |
0
-
Sizing things up: The evolutionary neurobiology of scale invariance
Feb 28, 2013 |
4.8 / 5 (10) |
14
-
Why is zone 1 in liver more prone to ischemic injury?
May 23, 2013
-
How can there be villous adenoma in colon, if there are no villi there
May 22, 2013
-
How can there be a term called "intestinal metaplasia" of stomach
May 21, 2013
-
Pressure-volume curve: Elastic Recoil Pressure don't make sense
May 18, 2013
-
If you became brain-dead, would you want them to pull the plug?
May 17, 2013
-
MRI bill question
May 15, 2013
- More from Physics Forums - Medical Sciences
More news stories
New fluorescent tools for cancer diagnosis
In recent years, microRNAs (miRNAs) and other non-coding RNAs are small molecules that help control the expression of specific proteins. In recent years they have emerged as disease biomarkers. miRNA profiles have been used ...
Cancer
15 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
Modulating the immune system to combat metastatic cancer
Cancer cells spread and grow by avoiding detection and destruction by the immune system. Stimulation of the immune system can help to eliminate cancer cells; however, there are many factors that cause the immune system to ...
Cancer
15 hours ago |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
Scientists put bowel cancer under the microscope
Researchers from London's Kingston University have begun a two-year study which could help prolong the lives of people with colorectal tumours.
Cancer
18 hours ago |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
Researcher identifies breast cancer fighting hormone
Transformative research from Western University has identified new hormones in the body which may suppress breast cancer and stimulate the regression of breast tumors.
Cancer
19 hours ago |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
Ground breaking cancer research finds immune system link
(Medical Xpress)—Curtin University researchers have found evidence that targeting specific cells in the body can reverse the effects of cancer on the immune system.
Cancer
19 hours ago |
5 / 5 (4) |
0
Engineered cytomegalovirus protects monkeys from HIV equivalent
(Medical Xpress)—A new study by researchers in the US has shown that an ancient virus can be modified to help in the fight against the simian immunodeficiency virus SIV, which is the equivalent in monkeys ...
Researchers identify first drug targets in childhood genetic tumor disorder
Two mutations central to the development of infantile myofibromatosis (IM)—a disorder characterized by multiple tumors involving the skin, bone, and soft tissue—may provide new therapeutic targets, according to researchers ...
Hormone levels may provide key to understanding psychological disorders in women
Women at a particular stage in their monthly menstrual cycle may be more vulnerable to some of the psychological side-effects associated with stressful experiences, according to a study from UCL.
Going live: Immune cell activation in multiple sclerosis
Biological processes are generally based on events at the molecular and cellular level. To understand what happens in the course of infections, diseases or normal bodily functions, scientists would need to ...
Help at hand for people with schizophrenia
How can healthy people who hear voices help schizophrenics? Finding the answer for this is at the centre of research conducted at the University of Bergen.
Alzheimer's disease, the soft target of the euthanasia debate
(Medical Xpress)—The way Alzheimer's disease is portrayed by advocacy groups and the media is having undue influence on the euthanasia debate, according to a Deakin University nursing ethics professor.