cancer and the poor

People living in Scotland’s most deprived communities are significantly less likely to have cancer detected early than their richer peers.

Only 22 per cent of breast, bowel and lung cancers among people living in the poorest parts of the country were diagnosed at the earliest point, known as stage one, the NHS figures show. By contrast, patients living in the richest areas were more likely to have the disease detected early on, with 29 per cent being diagnosed at stage one.

Cancer Research UK described the difference in detection rates between rich and poor areas as “unacceptable”