New research by pharmaceutical company Bristol Myers Squibb and charity Shine Cancer Support shows that people from minority ethnic backgrounds face an average of a year’s delay between first noticing symptoms and receiving a diagnosis of cancer – twice as long as white people. Ceinwen Giles, co-CEO of Shine Cancer Support said: “In a year that’s revealed that the UK’s cancer survival lags behind comparable countries, I am saddened but unsurprised that people from minority ethnic groups face additional hurdles that delay their diagnosis.”
The data showed that people from ethnic groups were more likely to attribute their symptoms to other conditions (51% compared to 31%) and not take their symptoms seriously (34% against 21%), compared with white people and were more concerned about wasting NHS time and resources (52% compared to 42%) or their GP’s time (32% against 18%).
For some an added complication was being caught up in the Windrush scandal. Simon Greene’s compromised eligibility to live and receive free treatment in the UK meant he had to find £42,000 to pay for his cancer treatment. He is still awaiting compensation from the Home Office.
Read more in this article from The Independent. Read the research report ‘1,000 voices, not 1: A report highlighting differences in cancer care in the UK’ here.
