Irish cancer services are “hanging on by their finger nails” and heading to crisis point, the Head of Research with the Irish Cancer Society has said.

Speaking ahead of a public talk on debunking cancer myths at the University of Limerick on Wednesday, Dr Robert O’Connor told RTE’s Morning Ireland that cancer numbers will double in the next 25 years.

He said that the recent controversial ‘I want to get cancer’ campaign had been very effective and successful in terms of helping people better understand cancer and what they can do.

“There was an increase in calls in search of information and of people rallying around.”

Dr O’Connor warned against the public acceptance of cancer myths, many of which were disseminated on social media - a platform he described as “a jungle of information”.

He cautioned about the use of alternative treatments and encouraged the public to get reliable information from their GP or by contacting the Irish Cancer Society.

Dr O’Connor’s talk is entitled ‘Cancer: Debunking the Myths’ and will answer questions such as: will one bad sausage cause cancer? Do sugary foods feed cancer cells? Can fad diets cure cancer?