THE MID-WEST HAS the lowest survival rate compared to the national average, according to a new study

It’s lower for four common cancers compared to five other health regions across a five-year period. The largest disparity was found with survival rates for colorectal cancer, lung cancer and breast cancer, while outcomes were also worse for prostate cancer.

The mid-west has long been highlighted by local campaigners over concerns over resources for the region, where University Hospital Limerick is the focal point for healthcare.

These findings are presented in the annual report of the National Cancer Registry.

They are based on an calculation that observes survival of cancer patients scaled against survival in the general cancer-free population of the same age, sex and calendar period.

The study looked at six health regions, which the HSE is transitioning towards adopting for next year. These are:
Dublin and Northeast, Dublin and Midlands, Dublin and South East, Mid West, South West and finally West and North West.

The survival rate for colorectal cancer in the mid-west was 59.4 percent. This was 4.1 percent lower than the national survival rate of 63.5 percent.

The report also noted that the other five health regions had a “similar survival rate”, with the mid-west the outlier.

For lung cancer, the 5-year net survival was 20.8% for cases diagnosed during 2009-2018 in Ireland.

However, that number drops again for the mid-west region which has a survival rate of 16.1 percent for lung cancer patients.

For female breast cancer in Ireland overall, the net survival rate was 85 percent – but it falls back by five percent for the mid-west (80 percent).

The other common cancer examined – prostate cancer – showed nine-in-ten patients survived across the nine-year period used in the study.

The national figure was 92.5% but this dropped slightly for the Dublin and north-east region (90.6 percent) and the mid-west (90.4).