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The National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN) and
Cancer Research UK has today (Thursday) published the first report on cancer
incidence and ethnicity.
According to the report, black people were nearly twice as likely as white
people to get stomach cancer.
And black men were up to three times more likely than white men to get prostate
cancer.
The report will help to shape policy on targeting relevant public health messages
to the ethnic communities around the signs and symptoms of cancer.
It taps into sets of data from NHS Trusts and cancer registries that have never
been linked up nationally – bringing together information that will be
crucial for healthcare commissioners deciding how best to spend their budget
in areas with large ethnic groups.
The report is the first national analysis of cancer incidence in ethnic groups
and looked at all cases of cancer diagnosed in England between 2002 and 2006.
Professor David Forman, information lead for the NCIN, said:
"While the white population is at a higher risk overall from cancer,
this report highlights the increased risk of certain cancers, like stomach
and prostate cancer, in the black population.
We don't know why these differences exist. The reasons could mainly be
genetic, but we think that lifestyle factors could have a role to play.
We now need more research to understand why these differences exist and
to begin to tackle these inequalities."
The report – presented at the NCIN annual conference in Birmingham today
– also found that black people were nearly three times more likely to
get myeloma – a bone marrow cancer.
And Asian women could be up to 80 per cent more likely than white women to
get mouth cancer.
Dr Lesley Walker, director of cancer information at Cancer Research UK, said:
"This report is a hugely important step forward in understanding
how such a complex disease affects people from different ethnic groups.
The next step is to think about how we can target health messages appropriately
– making sure different communities are aware of the signs and symptoms
of the cancers that are more likely to affect them."
Professor Mike Richards, national cancer director, said:
"The NCIN was formed to help improve cancer services through good
quality data.
This report is a very significant move towards this aim. Based on what
it shows, we will be able to measure the effect of any policies we now target
to ethnic minority communities."
Cancer Research UK
Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK's vision is
to beat cancer.
*
Cancer Research UK carries out world-class research to improve
understanding of the disease and find out how to prevent, diagnose and treat
different kinds
of cancer.
* Cancer Research UK ensures that its findings are used to improve the lives
of all cancer patients.
* Cancer Research UK helps people to understand cancer, the progress that is
being made and the choices each person can make.
* Cancer Research UK works in partnership with others to achieve the greatest
impact in the global fight against cancer.
For further information about Cancer Research UK's work or to find out how
to support the charity, please call 020 7009 8820 or visit their website (link
at bottom of this page).
News is included on the IvyRose website to inform visitors about current health
issues, but not to endorse any particular view or activity. Any views expressed
in the article above are not necessarily those of IvyRose Ltd.. Material in
this news item was released by Cancer Research UK on 25
June 2009 and may have been edited (e.g. in style,
length, and/or for ease of understanding by our international readers) for inclusion
here. For further information, please visit their website.
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