People in most deprived areas 74% more likely to die from cancer

People living in Scotland’s most deprived areas are 74% more likely to die from cancer than those in the least deprived, figures show.

Figures released by Public Health Scotland on Tuesday provided an annual update to the country’s cancer mortality rate, covering the year 2021.

It revealed that 16,438 deaths occurred due to cancer last year, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer, meaning it remains the main cause of death in Scotland.

The country’s most deprived areas had incidence rates that were 33% higher than the least deprived areas, with mortality rates identified as 74% higher for those with increased deprivation over the period 2012-2021.

Scottish Labour said the figures are a “national scandal”.

The party’s health spokeswoman, Jackie Baillie, added: “Scotland’s stark health inequalities are costing lives every single year, but progress closing this gulf is shamefully slow despite the tireless efforts of NHS staff.”

She called for a “real, cancer, catch-up plan that will reach the poorest communities” in a bid to tackle the “disgraceful inequalities”.

David Ferguson, public affairs manager for Cancer Research UK in Scotland, said the contrast in mortality rates for richer and poorer backgrounds is an “unacceptable reality”.

He said: “Great progress has been made in cancer research over the past 40 years.

“But it is an unacceptable reality that in 2022 some people are more likely to die from cancer if they live in an area of higher deprivation.

“We know that people from more deprived areas are not only more likely to get cancer, they are also more likely to be diagnosed at a late stage for certain cancer types, and have greater difficulties accessing cancer services.”

The figures revealed the overall risk of dying from the illness has decreased over a 10-year period, though the number of deaths has risen.

This could be due to the fact that Scotland has an aging population, with cancer being more common among older people, Public Health Scotland said.

From 2012 to 2021, the age-adjusted cancer mortality rate for all cancers combined saw a decrease of 11%.

This decrease was seen to be greater in males (14%) than in females (7%).

The report pointed out that the decrease in mortality rates is consistent with long-term trends, and so it would appear that the Covid-19 pandemic did not have an adverse impact in 2021.

Meanwhile, other Public Health Scotland figures released on Tuesday warned that pausing breast cancer screening during the pandemic could have impacted on the number of women being diagnosed with the illness in later stages.

The screening programme was paused for four months in 2020 following the outbreak of Covid-19 in the country.

Last year, 4,668 patients were diagnosed with breast cancer, while 3,706 were diagnosed with colorectal cancer and 4,862 were diagnosed with lung cancer.

A reduction in diagnoses occurred in the second quarter of 2020 as a result of the initial lockdown.

But in 2021, more women were found to be diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer, while fewer were being seen to have the illness in the early stages.

Some 13.3% of women were told they had stage 3 or 4 breast cancer last year, compared to 11.6% in 2018/2019.

At the same time, 83.9% were told they had stage 1 or 2 breast cancer in 2021, while 85.7% received the same diagnosis in 2018/2019.

This shift was more apparent for women who reside in the least deprived areas of Scotland, Public Health Scotland said.