Despite growing evidence that cancer is becoming more prevalent amongst ethnic minority groups, news figures out today at the start of Ethnic Minority Cancer Awareness Week show that cancer awareness levels are critically low amongst this cohort.

At least 46% of ethnic minorities are unfamiliar or not sure about the signs and symptoms of the various forms of cancer or how to reduce their cancer risk even though 61% have had a family member suffer from cancer1. These figures are alarming because studies examining specific cancers and ethnic groups have shown that African Caribbean men are three times more likely to develop prostate cancer than white men2 and that mouth cancer is more common amongst South Asian and Chinese communities3.

Quite a high number of ethnic minority women (78%) are aware of the NHS breast cancer screening programme1, however research has shown that 45% of black ethnic minority women of screening age (50-70) have never attended a screening of which 76% said it was because they had never been invited4. Only 22% of those questioned are aware of the NHS bowel cancer screening programme1 despite this form of cancer being the second most common cause of cancer death in the UK. If diagnosed at the earliest stage, bowel cancer is highly treatable with an estimated 83% survival rate5.

Ethnic Minority Cancer Awareness Week (6th - 12th July 2009) was launched last year by Cancer Equality in partnership with an alliance of leading cancer charities who have united to deliver a week of events to raise cancer awareness and improve access to services amongst ethnic minorities.

Jennifer Layburn, Chair of the alliance said: “Cancer awareness is important for everyone, however as these figures show, there is a need to reach ethnic minority communities with targeted awareness messages to increase the levels of awareness and early diagnosis to help reduce the inequalities that exist in survival and mortality figures.”

Other findings from the survey indicate that a lack of written information, language and a shortage of culturally appropriate and sensitive information may be contributing to this low level of awareness.

Jennifer added: “We are in a slightly better position this year in that we have some data that was recently published by the National Cancer Intelligence Network, which gives us a bit more insight into ethnic minority cancer incidences. However, there is still clearly a lot more that can be done around the recording of cancer incidence, mortality and survival in British ethnic minority groups as this will lead to a better understanding of their needs and the development of appropriate services to meet these needs.”¨

Note

– 2,000 ethnic minorities across seven cities in the UK took part in this survey which was conducted by One Poll on behalf of Cancer Equality and the alliance of leading cancer charities

- For more information about Ethnic Minority Cancer Awareness Week and a list of activities taking place visit http://www.emcaw.co.uk

- Ethnic Minority Cancer Awareness Week is funded by the National Cancer Action Team

- For more information on Cancer Equality visit http://www.cancerequality.org.uk

References:

1. Ethnic Minority Cancer Awareness Week - Cancer Risk Survey 2009

2. Y. Ben-Shlomo et al., The Risk of Prostate Cancer amongst Black Men in the United Kingdom: The PROCESS Cohort Study. European Urology, Volume 53, Issue 1, Pages 99 - 105

3. Warnakulasuriya, K.A., et al., Cancer of mouth, pharynx and nasopharynx in Asian and Chinese immigrants resident in Thames regions.

4. Same Difference: Breast Cancer Care is for Everyone. Breast Cancer Care Policy Briefing 2005

5. http://www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk

Source
Ethnic Minority Cancer Awareness

We all know that a diet rich in fruit and veg has huge health benefits, but recent research has shown that swapping to a vegetarian diet can actually cut your risk of cancer by 45%! Cutting out meat can also help you lose weight, detox your body and according to another study, make you feel healthier and happier!

Ensuring your body gets vital nutrients is essential when starting a vegetarian diet, however if you haven’t got the time, energy or knowledge to shop, chop and cook the ingredients then the experts at gourmet food delivery service the Pure Package are here to lend a healthy, helping hand….

The dedicated team of chefs and nutritionists will design and prepare a tailor-made vegetarian food programme for you including healthy and beautifully prepared breakfasts, lunches, evening meals and snacks. Carefully designed to ensure you receive essential nutrients and made using the freshest seasonal and organic produce, your meals will then be conveniently and silently delivered to your door every morning, for complete convenience

Your Vegetarian Programme may include:

Apple & Banana Bircher Muesli
Apples roasted with spices and fresh bananas combined with oats and natural yoghurt. This dish is also yummy hot. If you feel the urge, pierce the lid with a fork and microwave for a couple of minutes until piping hot

Pears & Pecan Nuts
Pears are rich in potassium which may help regulate blood pressure
Goats Cheese and Sun-dried Tomato Salad
Crumbled goats cheese and pine nut kernels served with sun-blushed tomatoes and fresh lamb’s lettuce.

Dark Belgian Chocolate Mousse
This clever dairy-free mousse is made with the finest Belgian chocolate. Good quality plain dark chocolate contains cocoa solids which have anti-oxidant potential.

Pumpkin & Peanut Curry
An Asian influenced dish of roasted ginger marinated pumpkin in a peanut and coconut curry. This dish is served with brown rice and steamed broccoli.

Source
The Pure Package

The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, announced the approval of a new source of the medical isotope Iodine-131 (I-131) to treat thyroid cancer in Canada.

Health Canada has authorized Draximage of Montreal to supply I-131 from South Africa’s Safari reactor to Canadian health care facilities. This decision comes after the Department determined that I-131 produced by the SAFARI reactor is safe and effective for use by Canadian health care providers. Production of I-131 in Canada was interrupted by the unplanned shutdown of the Chalk River National Research Universal reactor (NRU) in May 2009.

“This is good news for thyroid cancer patients in Canada and their health care providers,” said Minister Aglukkaq. “Our Government continues to find solutions to help address the current isotope shortage.”

The Minister added that today’s approval means that Draximage will continue to supply all of Canada’s requirements for the I-131 isotopes. The company has advised that the transition to this new supply source will be seamless and immediate.

Since the shutdown of the Chalk River reactor, health care providers had been using Health Canada’s Special Access Programme to access I-131 for patients. Today’s approval of I-131 by Health Canada means that the isotope can be directly supplied to health care providers. Rapid approvals for alternate supplies of isotopes were a part of the regulatory tool kit put in place after the 2007 Chalk River shutdown.

Today’s announcement is just one more element of the ongoing work the Government of Canada is doing to minimize the impact of the medical isotope shortage on Canadians.

Other measures undertaken by Health Canada include:

Approving Australia as a new source for Technetium-99m for use by Canadian health care providers;

Appointing Dr. Alexander (Sandy) McEwan as Special Advisor on Medical Isotopes for the duration of the isotope shortage. He is providing on-the-ground updates on the situation and how it is affecting patients, advise how Health Canada can best support provinces, territories and the medical community on the use of alternatives and mitigation strategies, and support the Minister in communicating the impact of the current shortage;

Collaborating with the provinces and territories and medical experts to produce guidelines to assist health care professionals in a shortage situation. These include measures to make better use of available isotopes, prioritizing patients who most need testing, and shifting to viable alternatives where safe and effective to do so. These guidelines are based on work undertaken by the province of Ontario and draw on the medical expertise of the Ad Hoc Group of Experts on Medical Isotopes, as well as other health care providers;

Working closely with the Federal, Provincial, Territorial Working Group on Medical Isotopes, which is playing a key role in contingency planning and managing the shortage;

Facilitating communications between isotope suppliers, the Ad Hoc Group of Experts on Medical Isotopes and the Federal, Provincial, Territorial Working Group on Medical Isotopes both to track supply trends and to enable advance planning;

Reviewing regulatory requests for approvals of alternate isotopes on an urgent basis to provide health care providers with options as quickly as possible. This is part of Health Canada’s ongoing work on the medical isotope shortage to ensure that Canadians continue to have access to the highest standards of care; and

Investing $6 million for research into alternatives to Technetium-99m.

Other areas of focus include discussions led by the Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Natural Resources, with reactor operators abroad to ramp up production and her appointment of an Expert Review Panel and launching a process to solicit ideas for the alternative production of the key medical isotopes, Molybdenum-99/Technetium-99m, over the medium and long term.

Source
Health Canada