Almost 100% of people diagnosed with non-melanoma skin cancer survive for 5 years after being diagnosed.

That's according to a new report from the 'National Cancer Registry Ireland' with rates in men and women stabilising or decreasing.

More than 11,000 people in Ireland are diagnosed with skin cancer every year, with 270 deaths related to the disease annually.

Director of the National Cancer Registry, Deirdre Murray, explains why the survival rates are so good.

“It is a very slow growing cancer, generally speaking, and if people present early, that's in either stage one or two, they have excellent results,” she said

“So that's part of the improvement.

“We also have some new drugs that have been in the armament in the last decade, and I suppose may also have contributed to the improvement in survival.”

Doctor examining patient´s birthmarks. Image: Alamy