Cost of living: Sunak should 'stop patronising' says host
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Researchers from the University of Toronto have found financial insecurity can detrimentally affect recovering cancer patients.
Their analysis showed cancer patients from low-income households were twice as likely to suffer a relapse than those from more affluent homes.
As a result of the cost-of-living crisis experts said cancer patients were now “at a higher risk of dying from illnesses like cancer, before their time”.
Dr David Pinato of Imperial College London said price rises would have an impact on patient outcomes.
Dr Pinato added: “Eating the right diet and living in a healthy and comfortable environment play a massive role in your body being fit enough for cancer treatment.
“I’m concerned if those pillars are removed, we might see we are no longer able to offer treatment to patients, or they will have worse outcomes.”
Patients need to be as fit as possible before and during cancer treatment as chemotherapy and radiotherapy take a gruelling toll on the body.
As a result, patients may have to remain in hospitals for longer in order to receive the nutrients and heat they cannot afford at home.
Experts suggest the problem will become more acute during the winter when energy prices rise further and people begin to make greater use of their heating.
Meanwhile, the cost-of-living crisis is already having an effect.
The Royal College of Physicians has heard reports of some cancer patients being so bereft of funds they cannot afford the journey to the hospital to receive treatment.
As well as some poorer cancer patients facing the journey to hospital unaffordable, data also shows those from lower incomes are less likely to stick to their treatment plan, increasing the risk of relapse.
Head of the Institute for Public Policy Research’s Commission Christopher Thomas said: “These are striking findings and resonate strongly here.
“Just like Canada, many people in the UK are subject to the double injustice of avoidable poverty and illnesses. Their lives are undermined by low incomes, bad work, and huge precarity.”
In response to the findings Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: “I have been clear that tackling health disparities across the country and delivering world-leading cancer care are both key priorities for this government.”
The Health Secretary added more had to be done.
More does have to be done.
Although few people will be using their heating over the summer, when winter comes around the pressures will become even greater; for some they may be fatal.
While great strides have been made in cancer care in recent years, this could be undermined by the cost-of-living crisis.
The hope is the government will take action so patients of all kinds do not lose their lives this summer.
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