Taking on 'long history of neglect' in traveller cancer care

Leeds Gypsy, Traveller and Roma communities will join forces with cancer experts to confront health inequalities caused by a “long history of neglect”.

- by Laura Collins

As part of a study funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research and led by researchers in the Department of Sociology at the University of York, people from gypsy, traveller and Roma (GTR) communities are being invited to share their experiences of cancer and help develop new ways to prevent it and improve early diagnosis.

People from GTR communities are more likely to experience delays in cancer diagnosis and less likely to take part in cancer screening.

They are also disproportionately impacted by cancer risk factors such as smoking, alcohol, poor nutrition and environmental pollutants.