Member's statement: Cancer Statistics
Member's statement by Mr Stewart Dickson on .
- MLA
- Mr Stewart Dickson
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 19 May 2026
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Cancer Statistics
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5549144
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Today, I will chair the Assembly's all-party group on cancer. We will receive a presentation from the Northern Ireland Cancer Network and will examine the issues behind some of the most harrowing cancer statistics in Northern Ireland. I would like to share with the House some of those statistics and the work and concerns of some of the key charities working with cancer patients in Northern Ireland. The evidence in Northern Ireland tells us that cancer cases have reached their highest level on record, with some 10,700 people diagnosed each year. That means that 29 people a day are diagnosed with cancer in Northern Ireland, which is a sobering thought. Incidence rates have risen 14% since the 1990s, partly driven by preventable risk factors such as smoking and obesity. Patients in Northern Ireland face the longest waits for cancer diagnosis and treatment of any nation in the United Kingdom. In 2025, only 31% of patients began treatment within 62 days of a red-flag referral, compared with 83% in 2013. Smoking continues to cause 1,500 cancer cases each year in Northern Ireland. Rolling out targeted lung screening could help us to diagnose an additional 210 patients at an early stage. Based on the evidence, we call on the Northern Ireland Executive to deliver an urgent plan to reduce the longest cancer waiting times in the UK and ensure that patients are diagnosed and treated without delay; prevent more cancers by implementing tobacco and vapes legislation; renew commitments to diagnosing cancers early, including the roll-out of targeted lung cancer screening and improved access to primary care; and strengthen cancer research by supporting the conditions needed for global talent innovation and long-term investment in life sciences. Behind every statistic is a person whose life changes the moment they hear the words, "You have cancer". Ensuring timely, quality care for every patient in Northern Ireland must be a priority.
315 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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