Cancer treatment ‘biased against ethnic minorities’

A type of cancer treatment used in the NHS appears to be biased against non white European patients, research has found.

A review by the NHS Race and Health Observatory in partnership with Liverpool University – findings from which have been shared with HSJ –  looked into crucial genetic tests carried out before a type of drugs to treat cancer (fluoropyrimidines) is administered.

If a patient has certain gene variants, using the medicines can harm them, leading to severe side-effects that affect the bone marrow, bowel and skin, and in some cases can cause death. If the variants are present, other treatments have to be used.

However, the research by the RHO found that the NHS is testing for four variants, which are typically found in white Europeans. But the researchers found 53 additional relevant variants, which are not tested for, were present in patients from 12 countries and five ethnic groups – African American, East Asian, Latin American, Middle Eastern and South Asian.

Although their two-year research project is still ongoing, the RHO and Liverpool University team have decided to issue a call for an extension of this type of genetic testing (which seeks to identify a deficiency of the dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase enzyme). A further recommendation for genetic testing for a variant found in those from African backgrounds is now under NHS review, which could be included in the National Genomic Test Directory, the RHO said.

RHO chief executive Professor Habib Naqvi said, “There is a duty to ensure every patient has access to the best available treatment when they are unwell."

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Source: HSJ, 26 July 2024