Cancer death rates are nearly 60 per cent higher for people in the United Kingdom’s most deprived areas compared the most well-off ones, a new analysis has found.
Every year, about 28,400 cancer deaths – around three in 20 nationwide – are tied to socioeconomic inequality, according to the report from the nonprofit Cancer Research UK.
Meanwhile, about one in 10 cancer diagnoses is linked to neighbourhood deprivation, which the researchers determined by looking at income, employment, education, and access to services.
Nearly half of the UK’s deprivation-related cancer deaths are due to lung cancer.
“These figures are shocking and unacceptable,” Ian Walker, Cancer Research UK’s executive director of policy and information, said in a statement.
The disparities are driven by differences in cancer risks, diagnosis, and medical care. A higher prevalence of certain health issues can also limit people’s treatment options and make it less likely that they will survive.
Much of the burden comes down to two key cancer risk factors: smoking and obesity.
Smoking rates are three times higher in the country’s most deprived areas, and nearly 40 per cent of residents there are obese, according to the report.
A lack of access to green spaces and healthy food can make it harder for lower-income people in the UK to maintain a healthy weight, the non-profit says.
Challenges around medical care compound these issues.
People in more deprived areas tend to be diagnosed with cancer later, the analysis found. For certain cancers, they are less likely to receive chemotherapy or surgery and are less likely to be offered new innovative treatments.
“People from more deprived areas are being diagnosed too late,” Walker said.
Early diagnosis can ensure cancer patients get into treatment sooner, making it more likely that they will survive.
But in England, people in deprived areas also often wait longer to begin treatment after receiving an urgent referral for suspected cancer. That can be a period of 104 days – 3.5 months – or longer.
The charity called on the UK government to shore up funding for cancer and prevention services in high-need areas, such as smoking cessation programmes. It also said targeted lung screenings should be rolled out across the country.
“Beating cancer must mean beating it for everybody,” Walker said.
