Adults with learning disabilities 3 times more likely to die from cancer

Researchers at the University of Glasgow have found that adults with learning disabilities are more likely to die from cancer compared to the general population, Report informs referring to the university's website.

The new study, led by the Scottish Learning Disabilities Observatory and published in the BMJ Open, found that adults with learning disabilities had a higher incidence of metastatic cancer of unknown primary origin (cancer that has spread to other parts of the body), and three times as many died from cancer at this advanced stage compared to the general population.

The most common cancer-related deaths were similar for women with and without learning disabilities, including breast, digestive (specifically colorectal) and respiratory cancers. However, women with learning disabilities had higher mortality rates from breast cancer, female genital organ cancers (namely ovarian cancer and body of uterus) and, cancers of unknown primary origin.

The most common cancer-related deaths in men with learning disabilities mirrored the general population, including digestive (specifically colorectal), and respiratory cancers. However, men with learning disabilities were more likely to die from colorectal cancer and cancers of unknown primary origin.

People with learning disabilities continue to face significant health inequalities, including a 20-year mortality gap and a higher proportion of avoidable deaths compared with the general population. Many cancers are considered either preventable or treatable. However, until now there has been a lack of robust comparable evidence looking at differences in cancer incidence and cancer deaths between the population with and without learning disabilities.

The evidence highlights a clear need to promote awareness of cancer symptoms among adults with learning disabilities, their families and carers, especially for early detection and engagement with cancer screening programmes.