Women living in the most deprived areas of England are nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed with cervical cancer than their affluent counterparts - according to a report presented by national cancer director Professor Mike Richards at the Britain Against Cancer conference today (Tuesday).
The report, published by the National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN), reveals a 'deprivation gap' that researchers believe is mainly fuelled by a lower uptake of cervical screening in deprived areas.
All cases of cancer diagnosed between 1995 and 2004 were included in this nation-wide analysis of the effect of deprivation on cancer incidence, including more than 25,000 cases of cervical cancer.
In the most deprived areas of England, there were 12 women per 100,000 diagnosed with cervical cancer between 2000 and 2004. In the most affluent areas, only 6 per 100,000 women were diagnosed with the disease during the same time period.
Professor David Forman, NCIN information lead who is based at the University of Leeds, said: "These striking figures show there is still much more that needs to be done to tackle cancer in low-income communities.
"Cervical cancer is a largely preventable disease - the national screening programme will pick up most cases before they even develop into cancer. Our figures suggest that women living in poorer areas are less likely to attend cervical screening than women who are better-off, so they are more likely to develop the disease.
"Higher rates of smoking in most deprived areas and the earlier onset of sexual activity also contribute to the higher rates of cervical cancer."
Currently, women in England aged 25 to 64 are invited for cervical screening every three to five years. In 2006, around 20 per cent of women in England invited for cervical screening did not attend, and previous research has shown that women in deprived areas are around 40 per cent less likely to attend. Screening can pick up on important changes to cells before cervical cancer develops.
Sara Hiom, director of health information at Cancer Research UK, said: "It's extremely worrying that your income and where you live can have such a significant effect on your risk of cancer. It's clear that much more needs to be done to encourage women from low-income communities to attend cervical screening."
Women living in deprived areas were 129 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with cervical cancer between 1995 and 1999. This figure was 106 per cent between 2000 and 2004. Although this drop is not statistically significant, doctors hope this downwards turn will continue.