Poorer people up to 70% more likely to get some cancers

Action needed to close health inequality gap

Poorer and marginalised groups in society are carrying the burden of cancer in Ireland with rates of certain cancers up to 70% higher in Ireland’s deprived communities , according to the Irish Cancer Society and the Society of the St Vincent de Paul who hosted the annual Irish Cancer Society Charles Cully Lecture in Dublin today.

Professor Sir Michael Marmot, international expert on inequalities in health and Director of the University College London Institute of Heath Equity, who was speaking at the event, highlighted how the stark differences in the incidence of cancer are caused by economic and social inequalities. Factors such as level of education, income, employment and living conditions can all influence cancer risk and survival.

In Ireland, lung, stomach, head and neck, and cervical cancers are all more common in areas of higher unemployment and lower levels of education. Men in areas with the poorest education levels have a 32 per cent greater risk of lung cancer than men living in areas with the highest level, while women have a 23 per cent greater risk. Women in areas with the lowest education levels had a 66% greater risk of cervical cancer than those in areas with the highest level of educational attainment. Men in the most densely populated areas had a 53 per cent greater risk of developing head and neck cancer than men in less densely populated areas.

Sir Michael said in his address, “‘Non-communicable diseases, including cancer, are now major public health burdens in every region of the world. We know that half of all cancers are preventable by means of healthier living. But an individual’s ability to act on this information is shaped by social conditions acting through the life course. An individual’s health is a reflection of the social circumstances, or determinants, in which he or she is born, grows, lives, works and ages. Therefore, to reduce the burden of cancer we have to improve those social circumstances.  Achieving that will take action, globally, nationally, and locally, by communities, families and individuals.”

Kathleen O’Meara, Head of Advocacy and Communications at the Irish Cancer Society said: “If we are to have any hope of reducing high cancer rates among poorer communities, we have to recognise and tackle the social and economic factors which impact on people’s health. We have to make sure that everyone, no matter where they live or how much money they have, gets the same high quality cancer treatment, that they go for screening and that they know how to recognise early symptoms. Ultimately however, if we are to close the health gap between the rich and the poor in Ireland, we have to close the inequality gap too.”

Audry Deane, Social Policy Analyst with the Society of the St Vincent de Paul said, “Through its 10,500 volunteers SVP witnesses the daily struggle that excluded people face waiting for diagnosis and treatment in the public health system. We see the people falling through the cracks waiting for care and the impact this has on them and their families. Access to health services should be based on need and not ability to pay. Fast tracked access should not be acceptable as it excludes those who have been disadvantaged by generations of structured exclusion. These people are paying the price for poor health policy decision-making over many decades. As long as thousands of adults and children continue to live in households which do not have enough for a minimum essential standard of living, they will continue to suffer poorer health outcomes as they simply cannot afford to access the treatment they need.”

Research led by Sir Michael shows that investment in a range of social policies benefits health. Ensuring that children live in good quality housing, with safe neighbourhoods to play in and good quality schools to attend, means that they are more likely to grow up healthy and live longer lives. Likewise, adults who have a decent wage and secure employment are less likely to adopt unhealthy lifestyles such as poor diets, smoking and drinking.