Current Size: 100%
5.1 Summary
Colorectal cancer was the second most common cancer in Ireland. It accounted for 13% of all malignant neoplasms, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer, in women and 15% in men (Table 5.1). The annual average number of new cases diagnosed was 1,307 in women and 1,631 in men. 63% of these cancers arose in the colon and 37% in the rectum. During 1995-2007, the number of new cases increased, on average, by approximately 2% per annum, but during 2002-2007 increased by 4% per annum. The patterns of increase were similar for RoI and NI.
The risk of developing colorectal cancer up to the age of 74 was 1 in 32 for women and 1 in 20 for men and was similar for NI and RoI. At the end of 2008, 2,335 women and 2,787 men aged under 65, and 6,137 women and 7,205 men aged 65 and over, were alive up to 15 years after their colorectal cancer diagnosis.
Table 5.1 Summary information for colorectal cancer in Ireland, 1995-2007
Ireland | RoI | NI | ||||
female | male | female | male | female | male | |
% of all new cancer cases | 9% | 11% | 9% | 10% | 10% | 11% |
% of all new cancer cases excluding non-melanoma skin cancer | 13% | 15% | 12% | 15% | 13% | 15% |
average number of new cases per year | 1307 | 1631 | 849 | 1114 | 458 | 517 |
cumulative risk to age 74 | 3.2% | 5.1% | 3.1% | 5.1% | 3.2% | 5.0% |
15-year prevalence (1994-2008) | 8472 | 9992 | 5487 | 6789 | 2985 | 3203 |
Approximately half of colorectal cancers were diagnosed in those aged 70 and older—51% of men and 58% of women (Figure 5.1). The age distribution was similar for both sexes, although there was a higher proportion of cases in men aged 60–69 (29%, compared to 22% in women) and a higher proportion in women aged 80 and older (26%, compared to 17% in men).
Figure 5.1 Age distribution of colorectal cancer cases in Ireland, 1995-2007, by sex
Printer-friendly version
