The Irish Cancer Society has said its latest awareness campaign is designed to be provocative.

The charity has published a series of ads telling people to ‘Get Cancer’.

Their head of communications Gráinne O’Rourke admits people have been startled and upset by the messages, but said hearing your doctor say the words ‘you have cancer’ is far more upsetting.

One person is diagnosed with cancer in Ireland every three minutes.

The Irish Cancer Society says it wants to provoke a conversation about cancer’s devastating effects.

However, the campaign is also designed to remove some of the fear around cancer. There are more than 150,000 cancer survivors in Ireland, and that number is rising, and six out of 10 cancer patients will survive to five years and beyond, double the survival rate of 40 years ago.

RTÉ 2fm broadcaster and cancer survivor Louise McSharry is supporting the campaign, and said: “Being diagnosed with cancer at the age of 31 was shocking, but it opened my eyes. A disease I had never dreamed I would experience suddenly took over my life. I quickly realised that cancer knows no boundaries – it can happen to anyone at any time.

“Everyone thinks they’re aware of cancer, but it’s often not until your life is impacted by it that you begin to pay attention to what it really means to have this terrible disease. We have to change our attitudes to cancer. We have to talk about it and raise awareness.

“I’m lucky – I got out the right side of cancer, and now have a three-month-old son, something I didn’t think would be possible after my diagnosis. I never want him to have to experience the pain and worry I experienced with this disease. That’s why I want to Get Cancer.”