Cancer death rates are higher in poorest parts of the country, new figures show

● Most-deprived parts of Scotland have 61% higher mortality figures

Death rates for cancer are 61 per cent higher in the mostdeprived parts of Scotland, new figures show.

Official statistics also reveal the poorest parts of the country have cancer incidence rates 27 per cent higher than the most affluent areas.

Cancers that are associated with smoking “tend to be strongly correlated with deprivation”, the NHS report said.

For cancer of the trachea, bronchus and lung, incidence and death rates are three times higher in the most deprived areas compared with the wealthiest.

The figures show that in 2016 a total of 15,814 people died from cancer in Scotland, with lung cancer the most common cause of death, accounting for a quarter of fatalities.

Over the decade to 2016, the lung cancer death rate for men has dropped 23 per cent compared to 6 per cent for women, reflecting “historical trends in the prevalence of smoking”.

The death rate for all cancers combined has dropped by 11 per cent over the same period, with a greater decrease for men (13 per cent) than for women(7percent).breastcancer mortality has decreased by 17 per cent for women; for men the prostate cancer death rate has fallen by 7 per cent.

However, the mortality rate for liver cancer has increased by 55 per cent, with the main risk factors identified as alcohol and infection with hepatitis B and C.

The death rate for cancer of the body of the uterus has also increased by 71 per cent, which statisticians said may be due in part to changes in fertility and an increase in obesity.

Trisha Hatt, from Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “While it’s good news fewer people are dying from cancer, we must remember than many thousands of people will die from the illness every year.

“We know that too often people are missing out on the right support. We want to make sure everyone with cancer is offered a care plan outlining how and where they would like to be cared for at the end of life.

“It’s also clear from last week’s Audit Scotland report that mortality rates from cancer in Scotland are higher than the rest of the UK, and much higher in deprived communities. It’s vital that work is done to understand and tackle this.”

Labour health spokesman Anas Sarwar said the figures were “nothing short of a disgrace”.

“It is completely unacceptable that in 2017 Scotland the poor are more likely to be diagnosed and die from cancer than the richest,” he said.

“Under the SNP, cancer has become a condition unacceptably linked to deprivation and wealth. Labour has said for years that we cannot tackle the health inequalities in our country without tackling the wealth inequalities too.

“We need to see a clear vision to make Scotland fairer and healthier from this SNP government.”

Conservative health spokesman Miles Briggs said: “It is a shocking indictment on the health inequalities which continue to exist in Scotland that death rates from cancer in Scotland are 61 per cent higher for individuals from the most deprived communities in the country. Weallknowhowcrucial it is that cancer is detected early. As a nation we need to see a renewed focus on this and it is clear that across Scotland, there is still a considerable amount of work to do.”

Health secretary Shona Robison said: “It’s encouraging to see the death rate from cancer has fallen 11 per cent in the last ten years, but we want to go further.

“Our £100 million Cancer Strategy aims to see more people survive cancer and reduce cancer health inequalities. We are taking action to increase awareness of screening in deprived areas.”