Case Study - NCD - Cancer in the UK - Disease Dilemmas

How many deaths from 2016-2018?

166,533 deaths from 2016 to 2018

How many new cases of cancer from 2016 to 2018

375,400 new cases from 2016 to 2018

What percentage of people survive cancer for 10 or more years

50%

What percentage of cancer cases are preventable

38% preventable

How have cancer rates changed since the 70s

risen by 23% for men

risen by 43% for women

Socioeconomic causes

• Obesity

  • 2022 - 64% of UK adults overweight or obese

• Poor diet

• Smoking and alcohol = lung and liver cancer

• Lack of exercise

• UK Ageing population - ¾ of people diagnosed w cancer in the UK are over 60 years old

Socioeconomic impacts of cancer

Total excess cost of £15 billion per year

• Absenteeism (taking time of work)

• Treatment on the NHS

• Earlier deaths (no tax and not contributing to the economy)

• Unpaid care by relatives who are now not contributing to economy

Economic impacts of cancer on the person

An average of £570 a month worse off

• Hiring help at home

• Travel costs to appointments

• Extra heating at home

• Prescription medicines

Spatial variation within the UK

Dependent on levels of deprivation

• 20,000 more cases in deprived areas than in non-deprived

• 646 cases per 100,000 people in NE of UK

  • GDHI £19,977, lowest of all English regions

• More deaths from cancer in deprived areas

  • Bowel cancer: 45% chance of survival in deprived area, 65% chance non-deprived

• Reasons:

  • Higher smoking etc. rates

  • less likely to get screened early - take time off work for appointments

  • Iess time for exercise

  • Cheaper food

Mitigation strategies

• Government’s targets are to save 5000 lives a year, and increase overall survival rates and reduce the gap in survival rates between the UK and other European countries

  • Direct strategies: advancement in medical tech and diagnostic methods, mass screening for breast, cervical and bowel cancer

  • Indirect strategies: emphasise changes in lifestyle and cancer prevention

• Skin cancer has a year-on-year rise of 3 per cent. The gov has lefilstaed to control the commercial use of sunbeds:

  • Age limits for sunbeds and standards of supervision

• Publicity campaigns warning of the dangers of sunbathing and the unsupervised use of sunbeds