British Bangladeshi men have the highest rates of lung cancer Englandaccording to a study that reveals clear patterns in how the disease affects different communities in the country.
Disparities that go beyond smoking have been revealed by University of Oxford researchers’ analysis of 17.5 million people’s health records and 84,000 cases of lung cancer.
The findings, from Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences coincides with the launch of the targeted lung health screening program across England, which aims to reach 40% of the eligible population by March 2025 and 100% by 2030.
The new research found “ethnic background and social circumstances” are decisive factors in cancer risk, how it develops, and the type.
Lung cancer occurred twice as often in the most deprived areas compared to the least – with 215 cases per 100,000 people among men in the poorest areas, compared with 94 cases in the most affluent areas, the study found.
For women, rates in the most deprived areas were 147 per 100,000, compared with 62 in the least deprived.
Bangladeshi men showed the highest rates of lung cancer, followed by white, Chinese and Caribbean men.
Women and people of Indian, Caribbean, Black African, Chinese and other Asian backgrounds were twice as likely to be diagnosed with adenocarcinoma, one of the most common types of lung cancer, said the newspaper“titled Ethnic differences in lung cancer incidence and differences in diagnostic characteristics: a population-based cohort study in England, published in the Lancet Regional Health – Europe, details.
The study, which spans from 2005 to 2019, adds to existing research that suggests that differences in lung cancer can be influenced by genetic predisposition and class as well as habits.
Dr Daniel Tzu-Hsuan Chen, who led the research, said: “It’s not just about smoking: our research shows that ethnic background and social circumstances play a decisive role in both cancer risk and how the disease develops.”
Among those who developed lung cancer, people from deprived areas had a 35% higher risk of being diagnosed with more aggressive forms. The study found that men and current smokers were more likely to be diagnosed at later stages than women and non-smokers.
In June last year, the then Conservative government announced the launch of the targeted lung cancer screening programme, aimed at early detection and prevention across England. It involves people aged 55 to 74, registered with GPs and with a known history of smoking, assessed and invited to screenings and smoking cessation services, which aim to save thousands of lives and reduce the cost to the NHS of late-stage reduce treatment.
It follows a pilot that began in 2019 in which 900,000 people in parts of England were invited for screenings, with more than 2,000 cancer detected and 76% of lung cancers caught early, compared to 29% before it started
During the programme, screening took place in mobile units in places such as supermarket car parks, focusing on deprived neighborhoods where people are four times more likely to smoke.
The Oxford researchers hope that by highlighting how access to health care, ethnicity and class affect cancer outcomes, their findings will help ensure that controls reach those most at risk as the rollout continues.
Prof Julia Hippisley-Cox, a senior author of the study, said: “We need to ensure that our cancer services reach all communities effectively and that everyone has the same opportunity for early diagnosis.
“Tackling these inequalities is not just about lung cancer: when we address these fundamental inequalities in access to health care and social deprivation, we can improve health outcomes across many conditions.”
