The Central Statistics Office (CSO) data indicates that lung cancer accounted for 2,032 deaths in Ireland in 2023, including 1,094 males and 938 females. According to the National Cancer Registry Ireland (NCRI) Annual Report approximately 7 in 10 people diagnosed with lung cancer in Ireland are age 65 and older.
Lung cancer is the third most common invasive cancer for men and the second most common invasive cancer in women, accounting for over 10% of invasive cancers diagnosed in women and men. Between 2020 and 2022, there was an average of 2,600 cases of lung cancer per year.
The National Cancer Registry of Ireland Statistical Report 2022 indicates that lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in both genders, causing one in five cancer deaths (average of 1,950 deaths per year between 2020-2022).
While the five-year survival rate for lung cancer has more than doubled, from 9% in those diagnosed in 1994-98 to 24% among those diagnosed in 2014-2018, it remains very low compared to other cancers.
For lung cancer in Ireland overall, 5-year net survival was 20.8% for cases diagnosed during 2009-2018. Improvements in survival rates for people with lung cancer in Ireland compare favourably with international experiences. The latest available EU data ranks Ireland sixth of 24 countries on five-year survival rates for lung cancer over the period 2010-2014 (the latest available EU data), an improvement from the period 2000-2004 when Ireland ranked 15th of 23.
Data released earlier this year by the OECD indicates that, for men, the number of lung cancer deaths in Ireland, which are avoidable through prevention or treatment, is well below the EU average and declined significantly over the ten-year period in which the data was reviewed.
The data for women is less positive with only a small improvement in ten years and a slightly higher level of avoidable deaths than the EU average. The OECD attributes this to historically higher rates of smoking amongst women in Ireland.
The Government's commitment to cancer services is reflected in significant investment of more than €105m under the current National Cancer Strategy, including €23m in 2025. Over the past 8 years over 670 staff have been recruited to our national cancer services, including 200 nursing staff, 100 consultants, and 180 health and social care professionals in designated cancer centres. Five Senior Health Promotion and Improvement Officers, funded by the NCCP work to promote cancer risk reduction (including smoking cessation in the case of lung cancer) and early diagnosis of lung cancer.
The Department of Health Women’s Health Fund is supporting The Lung Health Check clinical trial which was launched earlier this year. Over a 6-year period this pilot project aims to drive improvements in lung cancer early detection, diagnosis and treatment by inviting people with a higher risk of developing lung problems for an assessment.
To support early detection in 2024, the NCCP, in collaboration with HSE Communications, carried out a pilot lung cancer awareness and early diagnosis campaign in North Dublin. This multi-media campaign was targeted at those most at risk of lung cancer.
In 2026, building on the 2024 pilot campaign, and in collaboration with HSE Communications, the NCCP will launch a national, lung cancer awareness and early diagnosis campaign aimed at improving lung cancer outcomes through early diagnosis.
The NCCP has developed cancer risk reduction and cancer early diagnosis e-learning modules that are available for healthcare professionals free of charge on www.hseland.ie. These e-learning modules address smoking as a risk factor for cancer and also address early diagnosis of lung cancer. The NCCP has recently updated their “National Clinical Guideline: GP guideline for the referral of patients with suspected lung cancer”. This is expected to be published in the coming weeks.
