The number of people suffering from obesity-related cancers has increased, a report revealed today.
The National Cancer Registry statistics showed cancer of the bowel was the most common, followed by breast, lung and prostate cancer.
"Look at the cancers which are increasing kidney, lymphoma, breast and womb, these are known internationally to be associated with obesity," Dr Harry Comber, director of the registry, said.
"The level of obesity has been increasing and it is a reasonable theory that there is a relationship between the two, and a number are associated with a rich diet.
"These are affluence-related cancers and we want to look at it in better detail and see the level of obesity."
The Government's Health Promotion Unit has shown that one in every eight Irish people is obese.
The report found the survival rate for breast and lung cancer in Ireland still lie far below the European average.
Labour Party health spokeswoman Liz McManus said: "There will not be a good survival rate unless it is detected early."
"There is a horrific situation for women in the south and west of the country who do not have BreastCheck, the screening programme."
But the number of patients surviving the common cancers is now running close to European levels. Half of all women diagnosed with cancer between 1998 and 2000 had battled it successfully, compared with a five-year survival rate of 48 per cent between 1994 to 1997.
Figures showed that 44 per cent of males who were diagnosed with cancer were now alive, up by 2 per cent from the last period. In the five years between 1995 to 2000 some 68 per cent of patients had surgery, 20 per centradiotherapy, 15 per cent chemotherapy and some 7 per cent of patients received hormone treatments.
Dr Comber said the improvement in survival rates was related to the increase in treatments. "Non-surgical treatment, including radiotherapy and chemotherapy was up 10 to 15 per cent," he said.