In the week leading up to St Patrick’s Day, a series of events took place in Washington to highlight the impact of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement, not on peace, but on cancer research and cancer care on the island of Ireland.

Twenty-five years ago this year, as a direct result of the Good Friday Agreement, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the governments of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the United States, giving rise to the Ireland – Northern Ireland – US National Cancer Institute Cancer Consortium.

While we are very familiar with how the Agreement led to the establishment of lasting peace in Northern Ireland, what is less well known is the substantial impact that it had on cancer research and cancer care on the island of Ireland.

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The mission of the consortium was: “To reduce cancer incidence and mortality on the island of Ireland through cross-border and transatlantic collaborations in........

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