Background to providing information to BME communities

These are some of the challenges we face:

• There is no word for ‘cancer’ in some languages; even where the word exists, cancer may be considered to be a taboo subject. A few languages are not in written form.
• Although the incidence of cancer in BME communities is generally lower in comparison to the general UK population (with the exception of a few specific cancers e.g. prostate cancer in African/African Caribbean males).
• We still don’t know exactly how many people from BME communities are affected by cancer, because ethnicity data is not fully collected and supplied to the Cancer Registries.
• But we do know that people from BME communities are diagnosed later than other groups, and that they are less likely to access palliative care services. BME communities generally have a greater proportion of younger people in comparison to elders (2001 Population Census), but, as cancer is largely a disease of older people, this means that there is comparatively less experience of cancer in these communities and fewer survivors who share their stories.
• An experience of cancer may not be shared as the only outcome perceived by community members is death; in the past, a lack of culturally sensitive information has contributed to increased fear of cancer in BME communities.
• Many cultural, religious and social factors can affect the delivery of cancer information.  For example, some religions, including western religions, consider serious illness to be a punishment for previous sins; women from some cultures may not feel able to talk about symptoms relating to their breasts or reproductive organs, particularly if a man is present. Cancer may also be considered to be catching or infectious.
• There is still insufficient cancer information in languages other than English, and in video or audiotape format for people who do not read easily.  Interpreters and translators with specialist knowledge of cancer terminology are often in short supply.
• We recognise that English is the first language for some community members, particularly in the UK second-generation BME population and in younger age groups but that they still may have specific information needs.

CancerBACUP has a cross-departmental staff group which meets on a regular basis to review, develop, and promote our services to the BME communities. If you would like to know more about cancer in BME communities, please contact Rose Thompson [email protected]