SHANNON Bridge has been adorned with 300 pink balloons, all in aid of raising vital funds for the Oesophageal Cancer Fund.
The 300 balloons represent the number of patients that have been spared invasive, life-altering surgery in the last decade.
The Unity Gospel Choir will launch Lollipop Day 2019 today, Thursday, February 28 on O’Connell Street, where the “streets will come alive with the sounds of singing and a whole lotta lolly”, all in aid of raising vital funds for the Oesophageal Cancer Fund.
Lollipop Day calls on the public to be aware that those experiencing swallowing difficulties and people who suffer with chronic or severe persistent reflux symptoms such as heartburn should attend their GP immediately.
New data from Ireland’s first Registry & Bioresource for Barrett’s Oesophagus patients, funded by the Oesophageal Cancer Fund (OCF), has revealed that, due to advances in technology, between 250-350 patients diagnosed at an early stage of oesophageal cancer were cured and spared major surgery over the last decade.
Barrett’s Oesophagus is quite a common condition arising from severe or chronic acid reflux, it is important to diagnose as it may predispose to oesophageal cancer. The Registry report highlights that over 5,000 patients from 6 academic hospitals in Ireland have been registered to date, and of these, 254 had or developed early cancer that would up to this decade have been treated with major surgery. The new technology is Radio Frequency Ablation (RFA) therapy, administered via an endoscope, sometimes in association with minimally invasive endoscopic surgery, this has revolutionised the care for those patients who are fortunate for their cancer to be diagnosed at the earliest stage.
visit www.lollipopday.ie for more information.
