UNITY
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Understanding the Needs and Interactions between Ethnicity, Cancer and Comorbid Conditions
IRAS ID
347177
Contact name
Anam Elahi
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The University of Liverpool
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 9 months, 21 days
Research summary
The Northwest (NW) region has high cancer diagnosis rates compared to other UK regions. Early cancer diagnosis and care result in better outcomes for patients and reduced mortality. However, people from BAME backgrounds are more likely to access services at later stages of cancer. Therefore, individuals of BAME background are at a higher risk of poor cancer outcomes.
Diagnosis rates of other, cooccurring long-term conditions, including dementia, stroke, or cardiovascular disease, are poor in this population. To date, little research has focused on how we can support BAME individuals who have cancer and another long-term health condition that affects how they communicate and/or think. The current project aims to address this gap in research and help local NHS services understand and meet the needs of this group.
To do this, we will interview BAME patients who have cancer and another long-term condition, their relatives and staff members who have cared for them during or after their cancer diagnosis. In these interviews, we will aim to understand the patients’ experiences, the things that make accessing healthcare easy or difficult for them and how local cancer services can support them better. We will work closely with people who have lived experience of cancer as well as another condition to make sure our research benefits local people. We will share our findings with cancer care teams and work with them to help tailor local services to the needs of this group.REC name
South Central - Berkshire B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/SC/0047
Date of REC Opinion
21 Mar 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion