Ethnic Minority Cancer Awareness Month
July marks Ethnic Minority Cancer Awareness Month, a chance to reflect, raise awareness, and take action to address the inequalities that still exist in cancer care.
At Macmillan, this work is part of our Fair Cancer Care campaign. We believe everyone should get the best cancer care the UK has to offer. No matter who they are, where they live, or what their background is.
Cancer affects every part of someone’s life. From diagnosis and treatment to emotional, financial and practical support. But not everyone has equal access to the information, care and support they need at every stage.
Why Ethnic Minority Awareness Month Matters
Cancer inequities: what the data shows
People in the UK who are from ethnically diverse backgrounds are more likely to get some types of cancer. For example,
- Black and Asian people are more likely to get gallblader and liver cancer compared to White people (1).
- Black men are twice as likely to develop prostate cancer compared to White men and also twice as likely to die from it (2).
- Research has shown that people from ethnically diverse backgrounds in England wait longer on average to be diagnosed for several types of cancer (4).
- More than 1 in 4 people living with cancer in the UK (29%) have multiple concerns related to cancer areas, but this rises to 34% of people with cancer who are ethnically diverse (5).
- In England, people with cancer who are Black or Asian or have mixed or multiple ethnicity are significantly less likely to get support they need with their health and wellbeing while receiving hospital treatment. (6).
Our work to help close the gap
Breaking down barriers to cancer support in the West Midlands
The Beauty of Support
Calderdale Cancer Aware: Changing the conversation about cancer in the community
Your stories
“If I had not consistently pushed for answers, I would not be here now to tell my story.”
Faaria’s experience with her Macmillan nurse and HOPE programme made her want to ‘give something back’ and help other people.
Paul was diagnosed with prostate cancer at the age of 49. Read his story and learn why he is passionate about the work of Cancer Black Care.
Where to find support
Accessing Macmillan services
Further information
Online community
Resources and support from other organisations
About our information
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References
1. Delon C, Brown KF, Payne NWS et al. Differences in cancer incidence by broad ethnic group in England, 2013–2017. Br J Cancer 2022: 126; 1765–1773.
2. Lloyd T, Hounsome L, Mehay A et al. Lifetime risk of being diagnosed with, or dying from, prostate cancer by major ethnic group in England 2008–2010. BMC Med 2015; 13: 171.
3. Office for National Statistics. Mortality from leading causes of death by ethnic group, England and Wales: 2012 to 2019. August 2021 (accessed March 2025).
4. Martins T, Abel G, Ukoumunne OC et al. Assessing ethnic inequalities in diagnostic interval of common cancers: A population-based UK cohort study. Cancers 2022; 14: 3085 https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14133085
5. Macmillan Cancer Support/YouGov survey of people with cancer, June 2024. For more details see: Macmillan Cancer Support. Charity calls for urgent investment in cancer care, as patients warn it’s harder to have cancer now ‘than any other time they can remember’. October 2024.
6. Analysis of the national Cancer Patient Experience Survey for England. www.ncpes.co.uk. For more details see: Macmillan Cancer Support. Number of people with cancer in the UK reaches record high of almost 3.5 million. January 2025