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Disparities in Cancer Outcomes: A UK Perspective

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Impact of Energy Balance on Cancer Disparities

Part of the book series: Energy Balance and Cancer ((EBAC,volume 9))

Abstract

The social problem described by Jimmy Reid in 1972 [1] is still prevalent in the UK in the twenty-first century. Many people who are socio-economically disadvantaged do not have the capacity to influence their freedom, and as a consequence, they do not have control over the destiny of their own health. In this chapter we examine how socially disadvantaged people in the UK are at greater risk of poorer outcomes when they have cancer. That is, socio-economic factors determine disparities in cancer outcomes, incidence, mortality, and survival rates, in the UK.

It is the cry of men who feel themselves the victims of blind economic forces beyond their control… The feeling of despair and hopelessness that pervades people who feel with justification that they have no real say in shaping or determining their own destinies (Reid 1972).

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Macintyre [22] noted that each explanation has a “hard” (extreme) and “soft” (moderate) version for explaining the relationship between social class and health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Health and Population Sciences, Hull York Medical School (HYMS), University of Hull, Hertford Building, Cottingham Road, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK

    Donald J. Nicolson & Una Macleod

  2. Edinburgh Cancer Research UK Centre, The University of Edinburgh, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh, EH4 2XR, UK

    David Weller

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  1. Donald J. Nicolson
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  2. Una Macleod
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  3. David Weller
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Correspondence to David Weller .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Deborah J. Bowen

  2. Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Gerald V. Denis

  3. Center for Science, Health & Society, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

    Nathan A. Berger

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Nicolson, D.J., Macleod, U., Weller, D. (2014). Disparities in Cancer Outcomes: A UK Perspective. In: Bowen, D., Denis, G., Berger, N. (eds) Impact of Energy Balance on Cancer Disparities. Energy Balance and Cancer, vol 9. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06103-0_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06103-0_2

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