Toral Shah, Nutritional Scientist, Integrative Oncology and Functional Medicine Practitioner, and Co-Founder of South Asian Supernovas, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“On Friday, I attended the London Global Cancer Week Cancer Health disparities day organised by Dr Olubukola Ayodele – the theme this year was from awareness to action.
Cancer outcomes vary dramatically by race, geography, and income level. While the disease strikes indiscriminately, healthcare access doesn’t. Housing quality, job security, and historical disinvestment in marginalized communities directly impact diagnosis timing and survival rates. Even biological variations in cancer types between populations stem from environmental and structural inequities, not inherent differences.
These inequalities manifest throughout the entire cancer journey – from initial risk to diagnosis, treatment access, and ultimate survival. Prof Habib Naqvi MBE shared more about ethnic inequity the UK; Black and South Asian patients consistently experience higher death rates and reduced five-year survival across numerous cancer types compared to their White counterparts.
Additionally, these same groups remain significantly underrepresented in clinical trials that could advance treatment options. 93% of genomic data comes from white populations (representing only 15% globally), creating dangerous blind spots in treatment development.
Dr Kulveer Singh highlighted a sobering reality: 70% of global cancer deaths occur in low and middle-income countries, where healthcare infrastructure often fails those who need it most.
‘People don’t lose just health—they lose hope, community, and livelihoods,’ Dr. Singh emphasised. ‘Where you live and who you are shouldn’t determine your cancer care quality.’
As Jon Shelton from Cancer Research UK (CRUK) noted, socioeconomic factors dramatically impact outcomes, from screening attendance to emergency presentations.
Aruni Ghose and Neil Ranasinghe presented the Vanessa Moss prize and we heard the from the best abstracts including my friend and colleague Naman Julka-Anderson sharing more on the impact of radiotherapy on skin with more melanin and the winner Dr Soumen Das who shared more on poorer survival outcomes of breast cancer in India.
I was particularly interested in the panels Ethnic Diversity in Cancer Research and Clinical Trials and Tackling misinformation and mistrust moderated by friends Sarah Adomah and Leanne Pero MBE. Georgette Oni moderating the panel between various stakeholders including pharma companies, NHS and governmental agencies. It was a pleasure to share my own lived experience of inequity in the cancer pathway despite my knowledges and privilege.
The path forward? Building trust with underrepresented communities through sustained engagement, co-production of solutions, and equitable resource allocation. Cancer care isn’t just about clinical excellence – it’s about dismantling the hidden architecture of access.”
More posts featuring Toral Shah on OncoDaily.
You Can Also Read: London Global Cancer Week 2025: Advancing Global Dialogue on Cancer Equity
