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Dungarvan cancer survivor calls for increased awareness of early detection

Dungarvan cancer survivor calls for increased awareness of early detection

Cancer survivor Siobhan McCarthy from Dungarvan is sharing her story to support the Marie Keating Foundation ‘Early Cancer Detection is Key’ campaign.

The Foundation is urging the Government to improve cancer outcomes by prioritising early detection in Ireland.

Siobhan was diagnosed with melanoma over 10 years ago after noticing an unusual mole on her arm.

It was caught in time and the cancer had not spread, but her doctor said that had she left it another six months, she could be telling a different story.

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Siobhan now always wears a wide-brimmed hat and sun screen when she goes outside.

On average, 41,767 cancers or related tumours were diagnosed each year during 2019-2021. This is approximately one diagnosis every 15 minutes.

At a breakfast briefing last week, the Marie Keating Foundation called for increased education around early cancer symptoms and the expansion of cancer screening programmes in Ireland.

The breakfast briefing was held at the Garden View restaurant at Bord Bia Bloom 2024 in Phoenix Park, where the Marie Keating Foundation had a show garden based on the same theme, ‘Early Cancer Detection is Key’.

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After Bord Bia Bloom, the garden will move to a permanent home at Cork ARC Centre.

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