Severe mental illness: inequalities in cancer screening uptake
Comparing the uptake of NHS bowel, breast and cervical cancer screening services between people with and without severe mental illness.
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This report presents analysis of differences in the uptake of bowel, breast and cervical cancer screening in England between people with and without severe mental illness (SMI).
Based on a large sample of primary care data, the report is part 1 of an assessment of SMI and cancer screening. It is also part of a larger ongoing exploration into the causes of high premature mortality among adults with SMI.
Recently published PHE analysis shows that:
- adults with SMI are twice as likely as adults without SMI to die prematurely (under the age of 75) from cancer
- cancer is the leading cause of premature mortality among adults with SMI
There is also evidence that most cancers are as common in people with and without SMI. Therefore, this inequality in mortality is likely to be due to differences in prevention, diagnosis and experience along the care pathway.
We would like to express our thanks to our various partners, without whom this work would not have been possible.