Minister for Health Mary Harney has today welcomed the news of improvements in treatments for three of the four major cancers occurring in Ireland.
A National Cancer Registry Report, published today, outlined significant progress in the survival rates among those diagnosed with breast, colorectal or prostate cancer, though rates for lung cancer sufferers remained roughly the same.
Regional variations in survival rates and in the amount of patients receiving chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormonal therapy also persist. The report covers patients that were diagnosed with cancer before or during 2001.
Speaking today Ms Harney said the report "adds significantly to our understanding of survival patterns of care for four major causes of cancer, breast, colorectal, lung and prostate."
In the Dail today, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said the disparities in cancer services across the state were an "indictment of the Government's world class health service for cancer treatment".
Ms Harney insisted in her statement, however, that the Government "is committed to making the full range of cancer services available and accessible to cancer patients throughout Ireland.
"We will fund and organise cancer services, so that patients from each region of the country will benefit equally from top quality cancer care."
Ms Harney said that the implementation of the National Strategy for Cancer Control, published by her in June 2006, was crucial to this progress.
"It is Government policy to ensure that patients, regardless of location, have timely access to high quality and specialised care. Specialisation is crucial to improve outcomes for patients from every region," she added.
"The HSE and the Department of Health and Children are also working on the means to implement the national plan for radiation oncology to meet the time frame of 2011."
The HSE has responded to the report today by announcing the imminent appointment of a National Director of Cancer Control to head up its National Cancer Control Programme.
"Todays report from the National Cancer Registry underlines the HSE's strategy of developing cancer services that provide quality of care and equity of access on a national basis through the creation of a National Cancer Control Programme," a statement issued this afternoon read.
"This will bring together all of the cancer services facilities, funding and personnel in the hospital and community sectors."
"Through the appointment of a National Director of Cancer Control, the HSE will introduce national standards of quality of care that will be delivered through managed cancer control networks. These networks will have a strong focus on multi disciplinary assessment and treatment.
"There is significant international evidence to show that this approach, combined with appropriate prevention, early detection, screening and rapid access, will bring about reductions in the incidence and improvement in survival from cancer."