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Cervical cancer rates 'set to increase'

The incidence of cervical cancer in Ireland is expected to increase, as the national cervical screening programme is now available across the country, a new report says. The Women’s Health Council today launched a report on “Cancer Treatments: A review of the bio-medical evidence on breast, ovarian and cervical cancer”. A review of treatments for breast, cervical and ovarian cancers shows advances could boost survival rates significantly and reduce the risk of recurrence.

Mortality rates should decrease due to earlier detection and treatment, the report concluded. The low rate of cervical cancer in Ireland is likely due, at least in part, to the lack of a national cervical screening programme, meaning that some such cancers have not been picked up.

The report summarises current evidence on the effectiveness of treatments available to women in Ireland diagnosed with these cancers. Breast, cervical and ovarian cancers are among the ten most common cancers affecting women, especially in Ireland where we have a relatively high mortality rate compared to other Western European countries.

Geraldine Luddy, Director of the Women’s Health Council stated that: “Improvements in cancer treatment are constantly being made, and our review summarises advances in cancer treatments which offer improved survival and cure rates and a better quality of life for women. However, decisions on the best treatments are complex and it is important that people know that some treatments are only effective depending on the type of cancer and the woman’s individual profile”

The findings from the review include:

Breast cancer treatments:

• Having radiotherapy after surgery reduces the risk of local recurrence of breast cancer by two thirds and should be started as soon as possible after surgery.
• Current research on the new Intra-operative radiotherapy (the delivery of a single high dose of radiation directly to the tumour bed during surgery) is encouraging.
• The benefits of chemotherapy appear to be greater in younger breast cancer patients.
• Hormone therapy and biological therapy are effective treatments for some types of breast cancer.

Ovarian cancer treatments:

• Radiotherapy is highly effective in relieving symptoms in 50-80% of patients with symptomatic ovarian cancer.
• For some women who wish to conserve their fertility, the single diseased ovary may be surgically removed if the other ovary appears normal. The survival rate following fertility-conserving surgery has been reported to be 98% at 5 years and 93% at 10 years.
• Research is currently being conducted to explore the use of genes to predict which women would benefit significantly from chemotherapy and which women would respond better to alternative treatments. Research is also ongoing on the use of hormone therapy and biological therapy for treating ovarian cancer.

Cervical cancer treatments:

• Early stage cervical cancer can be treated with either surgery or radiotherapy with equal effectiveness.
• Chemoradiation (which involves treatment with chemotherapy and radiotherapy together) improves survival by 10% compared to treatment with radiotherapy alone. However the adverse effects associated with chemoradiation are greater.

Launching the report Mr John McCormack (CEO, Irish Cancer Society) said: “This valuable review conducted by the Women’s Health Council is an excellent source of information on current treatment options for individuals who are directly or indirectly affected by these cancers.”

The Women’s Health Council supports the establishment of eight Specialist Cancer Centres across Ireland. Evidence shows the quality of care and survival rates are higher for cancer patients treated in such centres. The Council also welcomes the Irish Cancer Society’s pilot program “Care to Drive” which offers free transport for cancer patients provided by volunteer drivers from South Dublin, Wicklow and North Wexford who are being treated at St Vincent’s Hospital. This service should be expanded to cover all areas of the Republic so that it is available to cancer patients countrywide.

The Women’s Health Council is a statutory body established in 1997 to advise the Minister for Health and Children on all aspects of women’s health. The mission of the Women’s Health Council is to inform and influence the development of health policy to ensure the maximum health and social gain for women in Ireland. Its membership is representative of a wide range of expertise and interest in women’s health.

A further report on cancer, “Women and cancer in Ireland 1994-2001” published in 2006 by the National Cancer Registry of Ireland and the Women’s health Council is available at http://www.whc.ie/documents/40_women_cancer.pdf

Posted in Public Health on 27 November 2008
Tags: cancer