The likelihood of dying of cancer is a postcode lottery, figures suggest, with Middlesbrough having one of the worst death rates in the country.
Sobering data shows huge discrepancies in the chance of dying before the age of 80, depending on where people live. Those in the most deprived areas, mainly in the North, are significantly more likely to die of cancer than those living in more affluent and southern towns and cities.
Middlesbrough had the second highest rate for women in England, with one in six dying of cancer before they turned 80. The risk for men in the town is the fourth highest in the country at one in five – compared to one in eight in Harrow in London.
The local authorities with the highest likelihoods for women were all in the North and all at 17 per cent, while 18 local authorities in England had likelihoods of at least 20 per cent for men, 13 of which were in the North. Dr Judith Eberhardt, Associate Professor of Psychology at Teesside University’s School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Law, said: “The recent report showing the big differences in cancer deaths across regions, especially in the North East, is really worrying.
“Health inequalities start very early, even before a person is born. This makes it very important to help everyone understand more about health, focusing on health across the lifespan.
“We need to provide health information and support that fits well with people’s cultural backgrounds and beliefs and make sure that deprived areas have better access to cancer checks. Working with local communities and faith groups to educate people about health from a young age is a key way to tackle these long-standing health differences.”
Researchers from the Imperial College in London analysed death records for the ten most deadly cancers among men and women in 314 regions across England. They looked at deaths which took place between 2002 and 2019.
Theo Rashid, report author and PhD student at Imperial College London said: “The greatest inequality across districts was for the risk of dying from cancers where factors such as smoking, alcohol and obesity have a large influence on the risk of getting cancer. Due to funding cuts, many local authorities have reduced their budgets for smoking cessation since 2010.
“Our data shows we cannot afford to lose these public health programmes and are in urgent need of the reintroduction and strengthening of national and local policies which combat smoking and alcohol.” Professor of Cancer Epidemiology, Amanda Cross, said those who are more deprived are less likely to be able to access and engage with cancer screening.
“To change this, there needs to be investment into new ways to reach under-served groups, such as screening ‘pop-ups’ in local areas like supermarkets and working with community organisations and faith groups,” she added. Statistics from 2021 indicated Middlesbrough had the second-worst breast cancer screening rate in the region and the worst cancer screening record for bowel cancer.
The news comes after Cancer Research UK said at least 20,000 cancer deaths a year could be avoided in the UK with a national commitment to invest in research and innovation and fix the NHS. Key areas to focus on include more investment in research, greater disease prevention, earlier diagnosis through screening, better tests and treatments, as well as cutting NHS waiting lists and investing in more staff.
