This is the second National Cancer Registry report focusing on treatment and survival of cancer patients in Ireland, for the four most important cancers in healthcare terms. Coverage is provided here for the eight-year period 1994-2001, representing 49,100 cancer patients with survival follow-up to December 2003.

Analyses show that there have been significant improvements in survival for breast, colorectal and prostate cancers, but not lung cancers, between 1994-1997 and 1998-2001. Improvements in treatment or in early diagnosis are presumably involved. However, variation in survival between regions is still apparent, with survival generally best for patients with breast, colorectal and prostate cancers resident in the Eastern region.