Dr Robert Kerrison and his team want to understand why some people don’t get the same breast cancer care as others. They want to make sure everyone gets the best possible care and treatment, giving them the best chance of surviving breast cancer.
In this section
What's the challenge?
People are much more likely to survive breast cancer when they get effective treatment as soon as possible. But some people are less likely to receive treatment, such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Others experience delays starting these treatments, or stop their treatment early.
We need to find out why – and make sure that everyone gets the best possible treatment and has the best possible quality of life.
People from marginalised groups, such as ethnic minority groups, are more likely to die from breast cancer. One possible explanation for this is that they are less likely to receive specific treatments, wait longer to start those treatments, and do not receive the full course of treatment. We want to find out where such inequalities in cancer treatment exist, why they exist, and how we can address them. This will help improve breast cancer survival, by ensuring more people receive the treatment they need, when they need it, as often as they need it.
Dr Robert Kerrison
The science behind the project
The team is looking at who experiences inequalities in breast cancer treatment and why. To do this, the researchers are studying anonymous information from patient records like the Cancer Registry (a national database of all cancers diagnosed in England) and the National Cancer Patient Experience Survey (a survey given to all people diagnosed with cancer, about their experience). They’re also speaking to people with breast cancer about their experiences, as well as healthcare professionals, to understand the challenges people face when accessing breast cancer treatment.
They’re interested in 7 groups of people who experience inequalities in breast cancer care. These include:
- Older adults (aged 65+)
- People living in the poorest parts of the country
- People from Black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups
- People with learning disabilities
- People with severe mental illness
- People with other illnesses (such as dementia and Alzheimer’s)
- People who are transgender
They want to understand which groups are less likely to receive treatment, and whether there are specific treatments each group is less likely to receive. They also want to know if these groups are treated in line with national guidelines, and if they waited longer to start these treatments.
The researchers are also investigating the reasons behind these differences and what needs to be done to make treatments more accessible to each group.
What difference will this project make?
The research will help us to understand why some people are less likely to survive breast cancer. It will also help us to understand what needs to be done differently, in terms of the care they receive, to help more people live and live well.
It will help reduce health inequalities by making breast cancer treatment fairer and more accessible in the future.
How many people could this project help?
Thousands. 55,000 women and 400 men are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the UK. And while we don’t currently know how many of them will experience inequalities in breast cancer care, this research will shed light on ways to make treatments more equitable and improve survival.
Create fairer futures
Help us continue to fund projects making breast cancer care more equal for everyone.