Major study into cancer inequalities across Wales released

South Wales Argus

04-06-2025

The study, from Public Health Wales' Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit (WCISU), found that housing, occupation, and ethnicity all influence cancer risk.
It's the first time all-Wales cancer registry data has been linked with census information, and the findings highlight significant disparities across the country.
Professor Dyfed Wyn Huws, director of the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit, said: "This is the first time we've been able to look at unfair inequalities in cancer rates through this level of detail using individual data across the whole of the Welsh population.
"It's a major step forward in understanding and reducing cancer inequalities in our society."
The study found that people living in overcrowded housing had cancer rates seven times higher than those with two or more spare rooms, even after adjusting for age.
Those in social housing faced cancer rates nearly three times higher than people who owned their homes outright.
The report also revealed differences by ethnicity.
While the white population had the highest overall cancer rates, partly due to being older on average, people from mixed ethnic backgrounds were more likely to receive a late-stage diagnosis.
This can reduce the chances of survival.
Black men were more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer, and Asian women with breast cancer.
Occupational background also played a role.
People in lower-paid and manual jobs, such as machine operatives, had the highest cancer rates and were more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage than those in professional roles.
Professor Huws said: "It has enabled us to get a much greater level of detail of the socio-demographic factors at play, by looking at individual or household measures of inequality, rather than area-level analysis.
"It's a strong baseline for future work and a clear call to action to focus on where cancer and other health inequalities start."
He added that up to four in 10 cancer cases in Wales are potentially preventable, and stressed the importance of early diagnosis and prevention.
The report used anonymised data from the 2011 Census and the WCISU national cancer registry, accessed through Swansea University's SAIL Databank.