New UK-wide study reveals deprivation gap across blood cancer survival
United Kingdom
A major new UK-wide study of more than 413,000 blood cancer cases has found persistent inequalities in survival linked to deprivation. It also exposed major gaps in how blood cancer data is collected and joined up across the UK.
The researchpublished in Nature, is the first of its kind to analyse survival across all major blood cancer subtypes across all four UK nations, bringing together data from four separate national registry systems with different structures and levels of completeness.
This is the first time we’ve been able to look at survival across all major blood cancer types at a UK-wide level"
- Dr Janice Hoang, lead researcher
Researchers say the findings highlight both clear inequalities in outcomes and the difficulty of drawing consistent conclusions from fragmented national data systems.
Across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, people in the most deprived areas had significantly lower survival than those in the least deprived areas – a pattern seen across nations and most blood cancer types.
Michelle Thornhill is of a white and black Caribbean background and was diagnosed with myeloma in 2013. She said:
"As a professional woman of colour who was fortunate enough to access a clinical trial for myeloma quickly, I’ve seen firsthand what timely, advanced care can do. But it’s deeply concerning that outcomes for blood cancer still vary so much depending on where you live or your background. I find it extremely alarming that there are persistent inequalities in survival of blood cancer which is directly linked to deprivation, something that simply shouldn’t be the case. We need to ensure that everyone, not just those who are educated or affluent, and no matter what your background or income, has the same chance and opportunities to access the best care quickly."
Blood cancer is the third biggest cancer killer in the UK, affecting more than 40,000 people each year, yet survival still varies widely depending on both cancer subtype and socioeconomic background.
The study also shows that while survival has improved for some blood cancers over the past decade, progress is uneven. The hardest-to-treat blood cancers continue to have particularly poor outcomes, despite advances in other areas.
Researchers say this reinforces the importance of clinical trials, which remain one of the few routes to new and more effective treatments for patients with limited options.
Dr Janice Hoang, lead researcher from the University of Leeds, said:
“This is the first time we’ve been able to look at survival across all major blood cancer types at a UK-wide level, and it clearly shows that deprivation remains one of the most consistent and important drivers of inequality in outcomes.”
“While survival has improved for some blood cancers over the past decade, this progress is not uniform. For many patients, particularly those diagnosed with harder-to-treat diseases and outcomes remain poor, which underlines the need for continued investment in research and clinical trials to develop better treatments.”
Dr Rubina Ahmed, Director of Research, Policy and Services at Blood Cancer UK and one of the authors of the paper, said:
“This study confirms what we have long seen - that deprivation remains one of the most persistent drivers of inequality in blood cancer outcomes. It also highlights the urgent need for better, more consistent national data on blood cancers. At the moment, fragmented systems across the UK make it difficult to fully understand where inequalities are happening and why.”
The works impact
Earlier findings from the work informed Blood Cancer UK’s UK Blood Cancer Action Plan, which calls for improved national data infrastructure, standardised reporting, and better visibility of blood cancers within national cancer statistics.
Researchers caution that differences in data completeness and classification across UK nations mean results should be interpreted carefully, particularly for rarer blood cancers.
