Health minister offers 'sincere condolences' to family and friends of Ciara Mageean

MINISTER FOR HEALTH Jennifer Carroll MacNeil has offered her “sincere condolences” to the family and friends of Ciara Mageean. 

Mageean died on Sunday morning aged 34 after being diagnosed with bowel cancer last year.

In a statement to The Journal, the minister said Mageean showed “extraordinary courage, openness and generosity in sharing the story of her illness”.

“At a time of immense personal challenge, she used her voice to support others, raising awareness of bowel cancer and encouraging people to seek help when they need it most”, the statement continued.

Bowel cancer is the second most common cancer in men and the third most common cancer in women in Ireland.

Currently, in Ireland the National Bowel Screening Programme offers people aged between 57 and 71 a free at-home bowel screening test every 2 years.

Carroll MacNeil said the government is committed to extending the age range of this “valuable” screening programme “in line with updated standards from the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA)”,

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HIQA recommends extending this to people aged 50 and over, which Carroll MacNeil said they will do on a “phased basis”.  

The minister emphasised this programme is for people “who do not have symptoms” and encouraged anyone who has symptoms or concerns to “contact a medical professional immediately”. 

After Mageean’s death was announced on Sunday, there have been renewed calls for better access to and awareness of bowel screening.

Co-chair at Bowel Cancer Ireland Brendan Dolan told The Journal they were “heartbroken” to hear about Mageean’s passing.

He said they have been “long campaigning” for the screening age to be “much lower”.

He said there is a knowledge gap around bowel cancer, more so than other cancers because people may find it “squeamish” to talk about.

According to the National Cancer Registry Ireland, bowel cancer among under-50s has almost doubled over the past 25 years. One in ten bowel cancer diagnoses in Ireland now occurs in someone under 50.

There has also been a 75% increase in incidents of bowel cancer among people aged between 20 and 35.

The European Commission recommends screening between ages 50 and 69. Most EU countries have screening programmes that cover some or all of this age cohort.