British Bangladeshi men have highest rates of lung cancer in England

British Bangladeshi men have the highest rates of lung cancer in England, according to a study that reveals clear patterns in how the disease affects different communities in the country.

Disparities that go beyond smoking have been revealed by the University of Oxford researchers’ analysis of 17.5 million people’s health records and 84,000 lung cancer cases.

The findings, from Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, coincide with the rollout of the targeted lung health check programme across England, which aims to reach 40% of the eligible population by March 2025 and 100% by 2030.

The new research found “ethnic background and social circumstances” are crucial factors in cancer risk, how it develops, and the type.

Lung cancer occurred twice as frequently in the most deprived areas compared with the least – with 215 cases per 100,000 people among men in the poorest areas, compared with 94 cases in the most affluent, the study found.

For women, rates in the most deprived areas were at 147 per 100,000, compared with 62 in the least deprived.

Bangladeshi men showed the highest lung cancer rates, followed by white, Chinese and Caribbean men.

Prof Julia Hippisley-Cox, a senior author of the study, said: “We need to ensure our cancer services are reaching all communities effectively and that everyone has the same opportunity for early diagnosis.

“Tackling these disparities isn’t just about lung cancer: when we address these fundamental inequalities in healthcare access and social deprivation, we can improve health outcomes across many conditions.”

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Source: The Guardian, 14 November 2024