Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in Ireland, with 3,609 cases diagnosed in 2008. A new study funded by CARDI states that the rate is 12 times higher in men aged 70+ than in younger men; deaths from prostate cancer are 74 times higher for men aged 70+ than for those under 70.

The research, led by Dr Anna Gavin at the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry, found that access to urologists and curative treatment has increased for all men since the mid-1990s. However older men are less likely to see a urologist or have radical treatment than younger men. The research was not able to identify the reasons for the variance in treatment of older men, which may reflect the clinical condition of older men, including the presence of other disease and their fitness for treatment.

Read the report:  Donnelly, Conan; Bannon, Finian; Sharp, Linda; Deady, Sandra; and Gavin, Anna (2012). ‘Is age a determining factor in the treatment of men with prostate cancer?’

Read the CARDI research brief compiled by Paul McGill