More than a fifth of cancers in Yorkshire are discovered following an emergency hospital admission – the highest proportion of anywhere in England, data shows.

Yorkshire Cancer Research found that 21 per cent of cancers diagnosed in the county were through emergency routes – like visiting A&E – which is above the country’s average of 19 per cent.

Dr Stuart Griffiths, director of research at the charity, said: “Early diagnosis is critical to cancer survival as more treatment options are available and there is a better chance of the cancer being successfully treated.”

Currently, half of cancers in Yorkshire are diagnosed at Stage 3 or 4.

Stage 3 means the cancer is larger and may have started to spread into surrounding tissues and there are cancer cells in the lymph nodes nearby, according to Cancer Research UK.

Stage 4 means the cancer has spread from where it started to another body organ.

The NHS Long Term Plan has set a target for 75 per cent of all cancers to be diagnosed early by 2028.

But a Yorkshire Cancer Research spokesperson said analysis by the charity reveals Yorkshire will miss this target by seven years without improving access to cancer screening.

'Surviving cancer should not be a postcode lottery,' says charity director

Dr Griffiths called on the government and the county’s political leaders to “make early diagnosis a priority so more people across the region have access to life-saving screening services and are supported to come forward with any cancer signs or symptoms”.

He added: “Surviving cancer should not be a postcode lottery yet currently, people in Yorkshire are more likely to die from cancer than in most other parts of England.

“Everyone in the region – no matter where they live or who they are – should have the best chance of surviving cancer.”

The charity is asking political leaders to support improving early diagnosis as party of its Change Yorkshire’s Cancer Story campaign.

Dr Griffiths explained that that the affects of the pandemic are still impacting cancer care in Yorkshire, when routine screening appointments were postponed, and people were less likely to visit their doctor with potential cancer symptoms.

In 2020, the number of people diagnosed with cancer through screening was at its lowest since 2006 when records began. At the same time, 23 per cent of people diagnosed with cancer were diagnosed via an emergency route, the highest it had been since 2008.

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Meanwhile, Yorkshire Cancer Research funded a separate study to discover why people living rural areas of North Yorkshire are less likely to survive cancer than those living in urban towns and cities.

The study – named the RURALLY study and led by researchers at the University of Newcastle – found that long travel times to GPs, concerns about losing time from work and a stoic attitude towards health concerns were all factors preventing people from going to their GP with symptoms of bowel cancer.

The findings will help inform new ways of encouraging people to speak to their doctors about signs and symptoms of cancer, a charity spokesperson said.

For more information about Yorkshire Cancer Research, visit: https://www.yorkshirecancerresearch.org.uk/