Ethnic inequalities in routes to diagnosis of cancer: a population-based UK cohort study (6 June 2022)

Summary

UK Asian and Black ethnic groups have poorer outcomes for some cancers and are less likely to report a positive care experience than their White counterparts it was found in a study from Martins et al. reported in the British Journal of Cancer. The study investigated ethnic differences in the route to diagnosis (RTD) to identify areas in patients' cancer journeys where inequalities lie and targeted intervention might have optimum impact.

Across the 10 cancers studied, most patients were diagnosed via the two-week wait (36.4%), elective GP referral (23.2%), emergency (18.2%), hospital routes (10.3%), and screening (8.61%). Patients of Other ethnic group had the highest proportion of diagnosis via the emergency route, followed by White patients. Asian and Black group were more likely to be GP-referred, with the Black and Mixed groups also more likely to follow the two-week wait route. However, there were notable cancer-specific differences in the RTD by ethnicity.

These findings suggest that, where inequalities exist, the adverse cancer outcomes among Asian and Black patients are unlikely to be arising solely from a poorer diagnostic process.