Poorest more likely to get cancer – and to die from it

Retired fisherman Norman Morse says he had little understanding of cancer until he got it - (Fishermen’s Mission)

Cancer death rates are 60 per cent higher in the UK’s most deprived areas, new research shows, with the poorest more than 50 per cent more likely to be diagnosed after a trip to A&E than their wealthiest counterparts.

A new report from Cancer Research UK has found that there are more than 28,000 extra cancer deaths a year linked to deprivation, and that people living in the poorest areas are up to a third more likely to wait more than 104 days to begin treatment despite an urgent referral.