It could take up to 20 years or more before the reorganisation of our cancer services has a major impact on overall cancer survival rates in this country, according to the head of the HSE's National Cancer Control Programme, Prof Tom Keane.

Prof Keane told a conference in Dublin today that Ireland currently ranked 18th out of 23 European countries in a league table for five-year cancer survival rates.

He said the lack of integration of our cancer services to date has had a lot to do with our poor survival rates, in addition to the problem of patients presenting too late with cancer for effective treatments to be carried out.

According to Prof Keane, with the reorganisation of services under the control plan, we will see survival rate improvements more quickly with some cancers than others, as survival rates vary between cancers.  For example, it could take could take 15 years to see a major impact on prostate cancer survival.

He said it could take up to 20 years to see if improvements being made had moved Ireland further up the five-year cancer survival table in Europe.

Prof Keane, addressing a conference organised by the Irish Cancer Society to launch Daffodil Day 2009, gave an update on the progress of moving major breast cancer services into the eight designated centres. He said in June 2007, 33 hospitals were performing breast cancer diagnosis and surgery.

This number had dropped to 12 in December 2008 and he was hopeful that facilities in the remaining four hospitals: Drogheda, Tallaght, Sligo and the South Infirmary in Cork, would have transferred to the designated centres by late spring.

Speaking to reporters at the conference, Prof Keane said necessary renovations needed to be completed at Cork University Hospital before the South Infirmary's breast cancer services could move there and this could delay that transfer.

He stressed that the plan to transfer services from Sligo to Galway could not be amended; there were only 50 new breast cancer cases in Sligo per year and this did not allow for the provision of sustainable cancer services there.

Addressing concerns about bed availability in Galway expressed by an Irish Cancer Society volunteer from Sligo, he  said there were only 50 new breast cancer cases in Sligo per year and this did not allow for the provision of sustainable cancer services there.

Prof Keane said he would not transfer services from Sligo until he was sure that services provided in Galway would be excellent and that patients would receive services in a timely manner.

Referring to a recently-reported case where a cancer patient from Sligo had to wait 20 hours for a bed in Galway, he said there had been pressures on beds at the hospital at the time, not related to the breast cancer service.

Prof Keane said in the transfers of breast cancer services that have happened to date, the Control Programme had been very sensitive to patient needs. He said bed requirements were in fact the least pressing issue in terms of transferring breast services to the designated centres.

On reorganisation plans for other cancer services, he told the conference that eight rapid access centres would be set up within the next 18 months for prostate and lung cancers, a report would be published later this week which would guide the consolidation of rectal cancer surgery, and national centres for pancreas, head and neck and central nervous system malignancies would also be identified.

The transfer of all radiation therapy services from St Luke's in Dublin to Beaumont and St James's Hospitals would be completed by 2014, while there will be an expansion of radiotherapy facilities in Cork and in Galway and new radiation units in Limerick and Waterford.

Prof Keane said it can currently take long periods for people to get a diagnosis of prostate cancer, and with the  new rapid access clinics, GPs would be encouraged to send in patients who may have physical signs suggestive of such cancers.

He said GPs and community nurses would be asked to take on a greater role in the provision of care to cancer patients. He said cancer care to date had been too highly-focused on hospitals.

Prof Keane said GPs and community nurses would be asked to take on a greater role in the provision of care to cancer patients. He said cancer care to date had been too highly focused on hospitals.

The Irish Cancer Society's Daffodil Day is on Friday, March 20 this year. The funds raised on the day go to the provision of nationwide free services to cancer patients, including home-based night nursing services.