We analysed cancer incidence rates in broad ethnic groups in England from 2013 to 2017. To do this, we used data on almost 3 million diagnoses across 31 cancer sites. The ethnic groups included were White, Black, Asian, and mixed/multiple ethnicity.
Understanding variation in cancer incidence between population groups can inform public health and cancer services.
For the majority of cancers, incidence rates were higher in the White ethnic group compared with the others.
For a small number of cancers, incidence rates were higher in one or more of the other ethnic groups compared with the White group. These included:
Prostate cancer: rates were more than twice higher in Black men compared with White men (2.1 times higher).
Myeloma: rates were 2.7 to 3 times higher in Black people compared with White people.
Some gastrointestinal cancers: rates were higher in the Black (1.1 to 1.9 times higher) and Asian (1.4 to 2.2 times higher) groups compared with the White group.
Hodgkin lymphoma: rates were higher in Asian (1.1 times higher) and Black (1.3 times higher) men compared with White men.
Thyroid cancer: rates were higher in the Asian (1.4 times higher) and Black (1.2 times higher) groups compared with the White group.
These differences are probably mainly driven by differing risk factor prevalence between ethnic groups - in general, key cancer risk factors like smoking are more common in the White ethnic group.
However over time, as minority ethnic groups become more established in their adopted home nations, their risk factor prevalence and corresponding cancer incidence rates may increasingly resemble those of the indigenous population.
Recording of ethnicity in cancer data, population estimates, and surveys about risk factor prevalence is inconsistent, which makes analysis like this – and interpreting results - challenging. While there have been improvements in recent years, better recording of ethnicity in NHS records and on death certificates would help make cancer statistics more accurate and meaningful for each ethnic group.
These findings highlight the different patient populations for each cancer site. We need to better understand the reasons behind variation by ethnic group, and the potential impact on cancer services, patient experiences and outcomes.
Read in full on the National Library of MedicineChristine Delon, Katrina F Brown, Nick W S Payne, Yannis Kotrotsios, Sally Vernon, Jon Shelton.
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