Black women in England more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage cancer

Cancer Research is calling for the government to increase cancer awareness and screenings for black communities

LATE-STAGE: Black women are more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage cancers (Picture: Getty)

BLACK WOMEN in England are more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage cancer, according to new analysis.

According to new research by Cancer Research UK and NHS Digital, black women from Caribbean and African backgrounds are up to two times more likely to receive a late-stage diagnosis for some cancers than White British women in England.

Caribbean women are more likely to receive a late-stage diagnosis for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (62% more likely), ovarian (48%), colon (37%), and breast (27%), cancers than White British women, according to the concerning findings.

African women have higher odds of being diagnosed with late-stage ovarian (85% more likely), breast (71%), and colon (42%) cancers. 

Cancer Research UK said there were many possible reasons behind the late diagnoses, including poorer symptom awareness, delays in seeking help and having to present to the GP multiple times before being referred for tests.

Cancer Research UK’s chief executive, Michelle Mitchell, said: “Everyone deserves the best cancer care, from diagnosis to treatment. The fact that women from Black and South Asian backgrounds are more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage cancer, when treatment is less likely to be successful, is deeply troubling. 

“More concerning still, is that we know the number of cancer cases diagnosed in ethnic minority groups is likely to grow over time. Meaning without any action, this gap will only continue to widen.”

Other issues like lower screening uptake, fear of dying from cancer and beliefs that cancer is untreatable may also be contributing to late-stage diagnosis in women from ethnic minority backgrounds.

The analysis, published in BMJ Open, revealed that ethnicity is a significant factor in stage of diagnosis for women in England with breast, ovarian, uterine, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and colon cancer, and for men with prostate cancer.

The findings showed that Caribbean and African women are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with late-stage uterine cancer than White British women. 

Awareness

The charity recommended the government should increase cancer awareness, and encourage screening uptake among ethnic minority groups.

They are also pushing for it to be easier for people from ethnic minority backgrounds to see the GP and get the tests needed to diagnose cancer earlier.

Ms Mitchell added: “Whilst the Health and Social Care Secretary’s recent decision to drop its promised 10-year cancer plan is disappointing, it is now critical that the new ‘catch-all’ major conditions strategy sets out how the Government will reduce the inequalities that persist in cancer care.”  

An early diagnosis of cancer can make all the difference to the patient.

The leading cancer charity said catching cancer early, before it has the chance to grow and spread, greatly increases the chances of it being successfully treated.

For example, more than 9 in 10 people diagnosed with colon cancer at its earliest stage survive their disease for 5 years or more, compared with 1 in 10 when diagnosed at the latest stage.

A biennial survey carried out by YouGov for Cancer Research UK in September 2022, found that women from an ethnic minority background were more likely to report they didn’t know any warning signs and symptoms of cancer compared to White women (23% vs 12%).

Fear

It also found that women from an ethnic minority background were more likely to delay or avoid speaking to a medical professional than White women.

Feelings of embarrassment and lack of confidence talking about their symptoms (10% vs 5% and 10% vs 4%, respectively) were some of the reasons for not speaking to medics.

They were also more likely to be worried about how their pay/earnings would be affected if they needed further tests or treatment (5% vs 1%) and to anticipate difficulties with remote consultations (10% vs 6%).

Cancer Research UK’s head of cancer intelligence, Jon Shelton, who is an author on the study said: “A cancer diagnosis is a scary thing. But the earlier it’s spotted, the better your chances of surviving. That’s why tackling known barriers to help seeking, whether that’s fear or difficulty accessing a GP, is so important – so more people come forward with symptoms. 

“But we also need the Government to ensure primary care and diagnostic services are properly resourced.

“If people can’t get appointments that work for them, aren’t being referred for tests in a timely way or are stuck on waiting lists they will not see the benefits of early diagnosis. And we risk making these inequalities worse.” 

For men, a link between ethnicity and stage at diagnosis was only found in one of the cancer types studied.

Caribbean and African men were over 20% less likely to be diagnosed with late-stage prostate cancer than White British men.

This is despite being at higher risk of developing the disease and could be driven in part by targeted awareness campaigns for prostate cancer.

If you or someone close to you have been affected by cancer, you can call the Cancer Research UK nurses confidentially on freephone 0808 800 4040.

Comments Form

1 Comment

  1. | Chaka Artwell

    The shocking absence of comment of outrage expressed by His Majesty’s African-heritage women to this Voice report, is the reason why African-heritage Subjects are routinely treated with great disparity by the NHS generally.

    Why are His Majesty’s African, and African Caribbean-heritage Subjects so tolerant of medical injustice; and endure the injustice with a complacency that is unacceptably shocking and cowardly.

    Reply

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