Cancer deaths in Northern Ireland have risen by 11% over a decade – with almost 45,000 people dying from the disease.
The 44,732 figure from 2013-2022 represents more than 10 times the number of people killed during the 30 years of The Troubles.
The figures are believed to be down to an aging population with the highest number of deaths in those over 75.
Despite the number of deaths, the risk of dying from the disease has dropped dramatically over the same period – tumbling thanks to medical advances.
In fact, the risk of dying from cancer fell by 7.9% for men and 4.4% for women over the same period – representing significant improvements in treatment and survival.
The latest data obtained by The Irish News shows that cancer deaths in Northern Ireland rose by 11.3% between 2013 and 2022.
More than half of all cancer deaths in recent years occurred in people aged 75 and over – 52.6% of male deaths and 54.1% of female deaths.
Only 7.1% of cancer deaths were in people aged under 55 according to the data from the Northern Ireland cancer registry.
The median age at death from cancer was 75 years for both men and women according to the data.
Cancer death age ranges in Northern Ireland
Lung cancer was the biggest killer, accounting for 22.9% of male cancer deaths and 22.3% of female cancer deaths.
Prostate cancer caused 11.9% of male deaths, while breast cancer caused 14.3% of female deaths.
Colorectal cancer caused 10.5% of male deaths and 9.6% of female deaths from the disease.
An average of 14,171 new cancer cases are diagnosed across the north each year, with incidence rates of 805.7 per 100,000 men and 687.8 per 100,000 women.
Non-melanoma skin cancer was the most commonly diagnosed form of the disease, accounting for 29.9% of male cancer cases and 24.1% of female cases.
This type of cancer is overwhelmingly caused by unsafe sun exposure.
At the end of 2022, 107,619 people were living with cancer in Northern Ireland who had been diagnosed since 1998.
Most commonly diagnosed cancers in Northern Ireland
The figures also showed that people have a 1 in 2 chance of developing cancer before age 85.
The rate of cancer was 5.2% higher in the most socially deprived areas of the north compared to the Northern Ireland average.
Certain types of cancer including lung, liver, stomach and head and neck cancers were significantly more common in the most deprived communities.
The highest cancer incidence rates in Northern Ireland were found in the Belfast Health Trust area – where cancer incidence rates were 6.2% higher than the average in the rest of the north.
However, the Southern Health Trust had cancer incidence rates 3.8% lower than the average, while the Northern Trust recorded rates 1.8% below average.
SDLP opposition health spokesperson Colin McGrath MLA said it was “extremely concerning that we are seeing an increase in cancer deaths”.
“I would urge the health minister to work with his department and trusts to try and identify the reasons for this and to see what steps could be taken to address this,” he said.
“The issues within our health service are well-documented and it’s important to understand if wait times or difficulty accessing treatment is partly responsible for this figure.
“We also need to see more work done to educate people around the links between lifestyle and cancer risk and to urge people who are feeling unwell to come forward so they can be diagnosed as quickly as possible.”