A group of influential experts across healthcare, community, politics and public health came together at Lancaster University for a roundtable discussion around cancer rates in Lancashire and Cumbria in a bid to discover what needs to be done to resolve the disparity between the local cancer outlook and the national picture.
Plenty of significant insights and thoughts were shared to form a valuable conversation on how we can improve cancer diagnosis, treatment and outcomes in the area. We’ll be summarising the discussion into a report so that these observations and ideas can be shared to help increase our collective understanding of these vital issues.
When compared to the English average, the cancer incidence rate in Cumbria is higher than any other North West county at 23% above the national average. Cumbria’s healthcare infrastructure is facing a kidney cancer incidence rate that is 42% above the rest of the country, and rates of ovarian cancer are more than 40% higher.
Incidences of oesophageal cancer in Lancashire are close to the highest levels in the North West, being 33% above the national average, while the cervical cancer incidence rate is the highest in the North West at 32% above average.
Our thanks to Professor Jo Rycroft-Malone OBE, (Executive Dean of the Lancaster University Faculty of Health and Medicine), Tim Farron (former Liberal Democrat MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale), Sakthi Karunanithi (Director of Public Health for Lancashire), David Blacklock (Chief Executive of People First), Dr Lisa Ashmore (Senior Lecturer in Social Sciences at Lancaster Medical School and Associate Dean for Engagement in the Faculty of Health and Medicine) and Mr Daren Subar (Clinical Director for Cancer Services) for their valuable input. A special thanks to journalist Christopher Maguire for chairing the even
