Irish Cancer Society: The Irish Cancer Society will shortly announce a €600,000 initiative to fund research projects into prostate cancer.
The rate of prostate cancer is expected to rise by more than 275 per cent in the next 15 years, according to figures released by the National Cancer Registry last week. There were 2,422 new cases of prostate cancer last year, up from the previous average of 1,689.
"With the mounting burden for prostate cancer indicated by the data, there is obviously a great need for research into prostate cancer," said Dr Patrick Corley, cancer research officer with Cancer Research Ireland, the cancer society's research division. He said there were more than 500 deaths from prostate cancer in Ireland every year and more than 11,000 men were living with the diagnosis.
"Unlike breast cancer, where there has been a reduction in mortality due to screening techniques like mammograms, and better treatments like tamoxifen and herceptin, there have not been similar advances in the area of prostate cancer," he said.
"There are still many questions related to screening, and there are many unanswered questions regarding why so many men get prostate cancer and which treatments are the best."
For conditions of this grant, visit www.cancer.ie/cri
The Irish Cancer Society's one- stop shop on prostate cancer can be contacted on tel: 1800 380 380.
