An investigation into what was perceived as a high incidence of cancer among residents in one area of Dublin's inner city has found no unusual incidence of the disease in the area.
The investigation was carried out by the Health Service Executive (HSE), which distributed questionnaires to households in Sean O'Casey Avenue, Summerhill, where residents had expressed concern that three masts overlooking the area might have led to a higher than normal incidence of cancer in the area.
The occurrence of newly diagnosed cases of cancer in the area was compared by the HSE with that of the Eastern region generally using data supplied by the National Cancer Registry. The number of deaths from cancer in the area were also looked at using data supplied by the Central Statistics Office.
On the basis of questionnaires returned by 19 of the 90 residents on Sean O'Casey Avenue, five deaths from cancer were reported. A further two were reported in 12 questionnaires returned from a neighbouring road. These had been diagnosed between 1991 and 2004.
Based on data provided by the National Cancer Registry there were 42 cases of cancer diagnosed in the Mountjoy B electoral division between 1994 and 2000 and the standardised incidence of cancer of all types in the area was similar to that of the Eastern region.
And there were 27 deaths from cancer in the area between 1994 and 1998, according to the CSO. Again this was similar to death rates for the region as a whole.
"In this study no pattern of unusual or similar cancers was identified in the local area and the overall cancer patterns were typical of those in the region," the report said.
It added that one in three people in the State develop cancer at some stage in their life and one in four die from it.
Local independent TD Tony Gregory said yesterday it was no consolation to residents to hear the incidence of cancer was so high nationally.