Low-income patients ‘likely to have delayed cancer diagnosis’

Cancer sufferers are less likely to have their conditions diagnosed promptly by the NHS than their more affluent counterparts, it has been discovered.

According to research conducted by University College London, the chance of those from poorer backgrounds being admitted to emergency units as a result of cancer is also higher, the BBC reported.

Women and older patients were also discovered to be less likely than men to receive a quick diagnosis.

The data showed that patients from deprived areas were also less likely than those in other communities to undergo vital treatments for various cancers, including breast, rectal and lung.

Professor Rosalind Raine, who headed up the study, was quoted by the news provider as saying that the situation does not appear to have improved over time.

“It’s tragic that it’s older people and more disadvantaged people and women who are missing out on this gold standard care and we really need to look at what is going on here,” she added.

Last year, a study conducted by Cancer Research UK found that one in seven people in the UK cannot name a single symptom of cancer.