Women Are Dying Needlessly From Breast Cancer, Experts Have Warned

Hundreds of poor women in England die needlessly from breast cancer every year, experts have warned.

There are around 450 avoidable deaths among women from deprived areas each year, a study suggests.

The excess deaths occur because women from poorer backgrounds tend to be diagnosed with breast cancer when the disease is more advanced, the study's authors said.

The inequality between rich and poor breast cancer patients could arise because women from lower income groups are less aware of the symptoms of the disease and are more reluctant to see their GP, the authors told the National Cancer Research Institute Cancer Conference in Liverpool.

The researchers, based at the Universities of Leicester and Cambridge, looked how advanced breast cancer was in over 20,000 women diagnosed between 2006-2010 using data from the National Cancer Registration Service.

They then calculated how many lives could be saved with five years of diagnosis if the stage at diagnosis for poorer women matched those of the most affluent women.

If these socio-economic differences were removed, the equivalent of around 450 lives would be saved in England every year, they said.

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Boost Your Anti-Cancer Diet

Vitamin D(01 of08)

Studies have found that people who have higher levels of vitamin D have significantly lower rates of breast, ovarian, renal, colon, pancreatic, aggressive prostate, and other cancers. Researchers have even predicted that raising vitamin D levels in the United States and Canada would prevent 58,000 people from getting breast cancer and 49,000 from getting colorectal cancer. However, Americans are woefully short on this essential nutrient. We get more than 90 per cent of vitamin D from sunshine, but people are avoiding the sun for fear of getting skin cancer, Dr. Teitelbaum says. “Avoid sunburn, not sunshine,” he says. And take a vitamin D nutritional supplement. He recommends that everyone take 1,000 to 2,000 international units of vitamin D a day, which you can find in a good multivitamin. (credit:Alamy)

Curcumin(02 of08)

Curcumin has killed cancer cells in the laboratory, shrunk tumors in animals, and helped prevent several forms of cancer from developing in animal studies. “Curcumin is a pretty remarkable herb,” Teitelbaum says. There are more than 1,000 studies showing that it’s effective for cancer, he says. But if you’re not eating foods made with curry every day (because curcumin is derived from turmeric), you’re probably not getting enough for cancer protection, he says. Should everyone take a dietary supplement? It’s probably only necessary if you have a strong family history of cancer, Teitelbaum says. Be sure to find a supplement specifically designed for easy absorption, such as the product Curamin. (credit:Alamy)

Vitamin B (03 of08)

Some research has shown that B vitamins, including folic acid (vitamin B9), can lower the risk for some cancers, but the research hasn’t been conclusive. Observational studies have found that people who get more folic acid may be less likely to get colon cancer, especially compared to people who are deficient in folic acid, and that getting vitamin B6 may lower the likelihood of getting colorectal cancer. But researchers haven’t done large clinical trials on these vitamins. The best option is to choose a good multivitamin that includes B vitamins rather than individual supplements. (credit:Alamy)

Green Tea(04 of08)

Studies done in the laboratory suggest that some compounds in antioxidant-rich green tea may help stop cancer cells from growing by cutting off their blood supply. One study from China found that people who drank green tea and did not smoke had a lower risk of getting esophageal cancer than those who didn’t drink green tea, but the results from other studies have been mixed. “It’s not the first place I reach to in terms of anti-cancer effect,” Teitelbaum says. But there are other reasons to sip: It lowers anxiety and heart attack risk, he says. (credit:Alamy)

Selenium(05 of08)

In areas of the world where the soil has high levels of selenium, there are significantly fewer deaths from cancer, including lung, breast, colon, ovarian, cervical, bladder, pancreatic, and esophageal cancers. However, clinical trials that have looked at selenium’s role in cancer prevention have been mixed. Because your body only needs a small amount of this mineral, the American Cancer Society recommends eating a healthy diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables rather than taking selenium in nutritional supplements. You can get selenium from Brazil nuts, seafood, whole grains, cereal, meat and poultry, kidney, and liver. (credit:Alamy)

Garlic (06 of08)

Eating garlic may lower your risk for breast, colon, esophageal, pancreatic, and stomach cancers, according to preliminary studies. When researchers looked at the results of seven population studies, they found that those with higher amounts of garlic in their diet had lower risk for stomach and colorectal cancer. But the results of clinical trials have been mixed, and researchers don’t know how much garlic you may need for protection. The World Health Organization recommends that people get about a clove of garlic a day in their diet. (credit:Alamy)

Fish Oil (07 of08)

Truth be told, fish oil’s strength is not cancer prevention, Teitelbaum says. Some research has shown that women who eat fish twice a week have a lower risk for endometrial cancer, but in general the research looking at cancer protection hasn’t shown much of a link. However, fish oil can do so much for your health, including helping to prevent heart disease or stroke and lowering rates of depression. There’s good reason to focus on getting fish in your diet and consider taking fish oil nutritional supplements. (credit:Alamy)

Beta Carotene(08 of08)

Animal studies have suggested that vitamin A (which includes beta carotene) could shrink tumors, slow down the growth of tumors, and enhance cancer treatments. However, getting too much beta carotene or vitamin A can be toxic. When smokers took vitamin A dietary supplements, their risk of dying from lung cancer and heart disease increased. If you take a high dose of beta carotene, you can cause relative deficiency of other nutrients in the body, Teitelbaum says. For that reason, don’t get more than 5,000 international units of beta carotene a day. (credit:Alamy)

"These avoidable deaths are not due to differences in the response to treatment, or the type of breast cancer," said Dr Gary Abel, statistician at the University of Cambridge and study author. "Rather, these are deaths that might be avoided if cancer was caught as early in women from deprived backgrounds as those from more affluent backgrounds.

"The reason for this inequality may be a combination of these women being less aware of breast cancer symptoms and a greater reluctance to see their GP."

Dr Julie Sharp, head of health information at Cancer Research UK, said: "Other research shows that women from deprived backgrounds are more likely to feel embarrassed or worried about going to their GP - but it's important for women to take that step as going to the GP promptly could make all the difference.

"All women should be aware of how their breasts normally look and feel because we know that early diagnosis is one of the most important factors in whether breast cancer treatment is effective."

Eluned Hughes, head of public health at Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said: "By focusing on improving early diagnosis, particularly in deprived areas, we can have most impact in stopping women dying from breast cancer. Around 1,000 women are still dying from breast cancer each month in the UK and we must continue our efforts to beat the disease - breast cancer is not yesterday's problem.

"Most cases of breast cancer are found by women noticing unusual changes in their breasts and visiting their GPs. The earlier breast cancer is found, the better the chance of beating it, so it is important women check regularly. Breakthrough Breast Cancer's simple TLC (Touch Look Check) message shows women what signs and symptoms they should look out for."

Health News cancer death prevention Breast Cancer cancer cancer prevention

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