Poorer cancer patients at higher risk of early death

CANCER patients will die “before their time” because of the cost of living crisis, experts have warned, after research showed those from low-income households are twice as likely to relapse.

Poorer patients may struggle to fund travel to hospital appointments and may have to quit their jobs, researchers said. UK households are predicted to be more than £2,500 worse off because of rising prices, tax hikes and inflation.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology’s meeting in Chicago added to concerns. A University of Toronto study of 555 cancer patients found that a third of patients from households earning less than £19,000 a year saw their cancer return after two years, compared with 12 per cent of those earning more than £56,000.

Responding to these findings, Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, said: “Tackling health disparities and delivering world-leading cancer care are both key priorities for this Government.”