What we know
What information do we have about the Eastern Board area?
What is the result of this on our health locally?
Policies
What is happening in the Eastern Board area?

Cancer is a term for a group of diseases in which abnormal cells start to develop in a part of the body e.g. the lung. These abnormal malignant cells continue to grow and then spread (metastasize) through the blood stream and lymphatic system to other parts of the body. Lung cancer is strongly linked to cigarette smoking. The rate of lung cancer reflects smoking patterns of previous decades.

The Northern Ireland Cancer Registry (NICR), based in Queen's University Belfast, collects information about cancer in Northern Ireland from a range of sources to get the best possible estimate of the number and type of cases of cancer in Northern Ireland. The NICR then provides information about the number of new cases of cancer each year (incidence) and the number of existing cases of cancer (prevalence) for the different cancer types. The NICR now has data going back to 1993, which enables us to see the trends in cancer types over time.

Cancer is predominantly a disease of middle age and old age. According to data from the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry, half of all patients are aged 68 or over at the time of diagnosis. Females have a 1-in-8 chance and males a 1-in-6 chance, of dying of cancer by age 74. One in three people will develop some type of cancer during their lifetime, but the news is not all bad. With increasing research and new treatment, many types of cancer can be cured or at least halted for a time.

The Northern Ireland Cancer Registry reports that in 2001 lung cancer was the second most common cancer in males and third most common cancer in females in Northern Ireland, representing approximately 13% of male and 7% of female cancers registered. Half of the cases occurred in people aged over 70 years. Lung cancer was the most common cause of cancer death in males and second most common in females.

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In 2005, there were 1591 deaths from all causes in residents of the Eastern Board area: 810 males and 781 females. Of these, 365 people died from lung cancer: 226 males and 139 females. When we look back to 1991, the death rate for lung cancer shows an interesting difference between males and females. The death rate in males has fallen during this period, while the death rate in females has remained static. This in part reflects the smoking habits of previous decades and the trend is likely to continue for some time to come. (The rates fluctuate from year to year, because of the relatively small numbers of deaths).

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Research has identified some factors that increase a person's risk of developing some type of cancer. The best-known risk factor for lung cancer is cigarette smoking. It is important to realise that this does not mean that only smokers get lung cancer or that all smokers get lung cancer, but those who smoke 20 cigarettes a day are 10 times more likely to get lung cancer than non-smokers.

Tobacco smoking is not just associated with lung cancer. In fact, tobacco smoke exposure is responsible for approximately one-third of all cancer deaths and more than 85% of all lung cancer deaths. The risk of cancer begins to decrease soon after a smoker quits and the risk continues to decline gradually each year after quitting. Stopping people from smoking is the single most important factor in reducing the risk of cancer. Other factors related to lung cancer are exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, asbestos, radon gas and some industrial products.

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