Hundreds of poorer breast cancer patients dying needlessly each year Researchers from Cambridge and Leicester Universities studied the records of 20,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer in the East of England between 2006 and 2010, and at what stage their disease was identified. Their findings showed that women from deprived backgrounds were generally diagnosed at a later stage, when the cancer was more advanced and treatments were less likely to be effective. Based on these results, the scientists calculated how many lives could be saved within five years for/of diagnosis if all patients were diagnosed at the same early stage as the wealthiest group of women. The study, presented at the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Cancer Conference in Liverpool, found that the earlier diagnosis would save 40 lives each year in the East of England. If the same pattern were repeated across the country, the figures suggest about 450 women's lives could be saved each year, researchers said. Dr Gary Abel, author of the study, said: "These avoidable deaths are not due to differences in the response to treatment, or the type of breast cancer. Rather these are deaths that might be avoided if cancer was caught as early in women from deprived backgrounds as those from more affluent backgrounds. The reason for this inequality may be a combination of these women being less aware of breast cancer symptoms and a greater reluctance to see their GP. Dr Julie Sharp, head of health information at Cancer Research UK, added: "All women should be aware of how their breasts normally look and feel because we know that early diagnosis is one of the most important factors in whether breast cancer treatment is effective."