Black and Asian people wait up to six more weeks to get a cancer diagnosis than whites, a new analysis has found.
New research carried out by the University of Exeter, with the support of UK cancer research and reported in The Guardianlooked at waiting times for seven different cancers.
The study looked at more than 126,000 cases over a decade and found that the average time to diagnosis for white people was 55 days. Black people were found to wait 61 days (11% longer), while Asian people waited an average of 60 days (9% longer) from the first time they saw their GP.
Overall, the research found that minority groups waited longer to be diagnosed with a range of cancers, including breast, prostate and colorectal cancers.
One of the most alarming findings was the disparity in diagnosis of cancers involving the esophagus or stomach, which found that Asians waited an average of 100 days, more than six weeks longer than white patients’ 53 days.
The review does not provide reasons why waiting times differ for different races.
Jabeer Butt, executive director of the Race Equality Foundation, told the guardian the findings were “deeply concerning, with potentially life-altering health consequences for black and Asian people.”
“We urgently need to address these underlying factors that prevent Black and Asian patients from having a fair shot when it comes to fighting cancer.”
The longest average waiting time for diagnosis of breast cancer in white women it was found to be 43 days, compared to 56 days for Asians and 73 days for blacks.
The researchers concluded that while efforts are being made to improve awareness of breast cancer signs and symptoms and the need for screening, “this finding suggests the need for further exploration of black women’s pathways to breast cancer diagnosis. symptomatic breast”.
Cancer involving the prostate was found to take longer to diagnose in black and Asian men compared to white men, averaging seven and 13 days, respectively.
The researchers attributed this to inequalities in primary care services and warned that GPs’ interpretations of symptoms could be causing delays. It comes after the development of a new genetic blood test whose objective is to improve the early detection of prostate cancer in black men, they are twice as likely to develop and die from the disease compared to white men.
Colorectal cancers were also found to have uneven diagnosis times, with black people waiting an average of 14 days longer and Asian people waiting 24 days compared to white people.
Subsequent analyzes carried out by the guardian also found an average 37 percent increase in wait times for myeloma (blood cancer) diagnosis in black and Asian people.
Lead researcher Tanimola Martins said highlighting disparities “will help improve trust and care experiences among ethnic minority groups.”
“While more study is needed, the findings of this study improve our understanding and will help target interventions to minimize ethnic disparities.”
Mr. Martins added that more needs to be done to improve the acceptance of cancer screening among minority groups.
“We urgently need to understand why this is the case for black and Asian groups,” he said.
The study comes as the government is developing a 10-year Cancer Plan aimed at improving and treating cancer, including priorities to “address disparities and inequalities”.
Following an extension of your consultation on the plan, Sajid Javidthe then Secretary for Health and Social Care said: “My father died of cancer and he wished he had taken the early signs much more seriously.
“But unfortunately for him, as for many people from ethnic minority communities, it was caught too late.
“We are expanding the call for cancer evidence to inform our 10-Year Cancer Plan to better understand why people are not coming forward.”
