A report from Cancer Research UK (CRUK) has disclosed that residents living in deprived areas in the United Kingdom (UK) recorded nearly 60% higher cancer death rates when compared to affluent regions.
In the recent study titled Cancer in the UK 2025: Socioeconomic Deprivation, annually, over 28,400 deaths were attributed to deprivation in the UK.
The report noted that late diagnoses and preventable risk factors such as smoking are linked to increased factors.
The report highlighted ongoing disparities in cancer care and outcomes between wealthy and deprived communities. According to Naser Turabi, CRUK’s director of Evidence and Implementation, little progress has been made since the charity’s last analysis in 2020.
Mortality rates are 1.6 times higher, with around 10% of cases linked to deprivation, often due to preventable causes like smoking and obesity.
Smoking rates in deprived areas are nearly four times higher, while obesity rates are almost double.
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Lung cancer accounts for nearly half of the additional deaths, with mortality rates nearly three times higher in the most deprived areas.
The gap in lung cancer outcomes has widened over time.
Patients in deprived areas are more likely to be diagnosed late and face longer treatment waits.
In England, they are up to 33% more likely to wait over 104 days for treatment after an urgent referral.
Many are also diagnosed at later stages when treatment is less effective. Cancer screening participation is significantly lower in deprived communities.
Bowel cancer screening, for example, is 25% lower in England’s poorest areas. More than half of cancer patients in these regions are diagnosed after emergency hospital visits. They are also half as likely to receive cutting-edge treatments for advanced lung cancer.
Ian Walker, CRUK’s executive director of Policy and Information, emphasised the need for better NHS access through funding and innovation.
Karis Betts, CRUK’s Inequalities Programme lead, called for sustained support to help people quit smoking and improved early cancer detection methods. “No one should be at a greater risk of dying from this devastating disease simply because of where they live,” Walker stated. “These figures are shocking and unacceptable—but crucially, they’re avoidable.”
