§ Lord Morris of Manchesterasked Her Majesty's Government:
What study the Department of Health has made of research findings in the United States that African Americans are at higher risk of developing breast cancer and cervical cancer and at much higher risk of developing prostate cancer; and what comparable information is available in the United Kingdom. [HL2767]
§ Baroness Jay of PaddingtonNo such studies have been done. The 1996 Cancer Research Campaign/Department of Health Symposium on cancer and minority ethnic groups in England and Wales concluded that cancer is a common and important cause of death in minority ethnic groups. Overall it is less common among Indian, Caribbean and African ethnic migrants than in the total population. However, Caribbean and African ethnic minorities have higher death rates from liver cancer and prostate cancer and there is a higher death rate from oral cancer amongst Asians. Death rates for breast and cervical cancer are not increased overall in ethnic minorities compared to the general population. The Cancer Research Campaign's fact sheet number 8 on cancer in ethnic minorities living in England and Wales is based on extracts from the report of the symposium, published in theBritish Journal of Cancer (BJC, Vol 74, Supplement XXIX (1996). Copies of the documents mentioned are available in the Library.