A survey by Cancer Research UK published earlier this year based on women in Hackney, East London, revealed that Black British women in the region are diagnosed with breast cancer 21 years earlier than white women.

Ethnic Minority Cancer Awareness Week is a collaborative event organised by leading charities to raise awareness of cancer among black and minority ethnic groups, which will take place from July 7-13.

The Week was launched by Cancer Equality at their ‘Delivering Equality in Cancer Care-A Challenge for All’ conference in 2007. Following this a group of charities have come together to deliver a week of events to both raise cancer awareness and improve access to services amongst ethnic minorities. The work is funded by the Cancer Action Team.

This year’s event will be focused on London, where around 30 per cent of the population are from black and minority ethnic communities where and over 250 languages are spoken. In a number of areas London leads the way in the provision of services to minority communities.

At the same time there are inequalities in the cancer incidence and mortality experienced by different communities compared to the general population. Furthermore, evidence suggests that barriers exist for ethnic minorities in accessing cancer information and services which may impact upon cancer survival rates.

Certain types of cancers are known to occur at higher rates among people of African descent. For example, African Caribbean men are three times more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than white men; yet according to a poll conducted earlier this year by The Prostate Cancer Charity, 85 per cent of men questioned were unaware of this fact.

A survey by Cancer Research UK published earlier this year based on women in Hackney, East London, revealed that Black British women in the region are diagnosed with breast cancer 21 years earlier than white women. The findings also suggest that black women develop more aggressive types of tumours and that there is a poorer survival rate among black women with smaller tumours. The study appears to draw parallels with studies in the US which suggests that African-American women get breast cancer at a younger age and at a more advanced stage.

African Caribbean Breast Cancer Support Organisation, Betterdays Cancer Care, will be holding an Information Day on Friday July 11 between 2pm and 5pm at Barnet Multicultural Community Centre Algernon Road, Hendon, London, NW4 3TA, as part of the week’s events. The charity has worked tirelessly for the past seven years, raising awareness of the inequalities in the diagnosis and provision of care for black women with cancer and has made a difference in the lives of many African Caribbean women affected by breast cancer.

The organisers of Ethnic Minority Cancer Awareness Week are calling on range of organisations, including health service providers and policy makers, to improve services for ethnic minority communities by signing up to a statement which supports the removal of barriers to ethnic minority uptake of cancer services. Those signing up to the statement must also agree to work towards:

*The systematic recording of robust ethnicity data within the cancer services in my area.
* Using the experiences of ethnic minorities to develop services for diverse communities.
*The implementation of targeted information and support, to reduce inequalities in cancer, and meet the health needs of diverse communities.
* Gathering information about the services already provided for ethnic minorities in order to develop good practice.

For further information about Ethnic Minority Cancer Awareness Week, please use the links below.