People with disability are dying from preventable cancers at higher rates than the general population due to systemic barriers in accessing preventative care and treatment.

People with disability are missing out on screening programs that could help detect cancer early, and after diagnosis are less likely to survive, according to a new study.

Researchers say their study shows “the striking inequity at the heart of current approaches to controlling cancer”.

They reviewed evidence from 73 studies from around the world that compared cancer outcomes in people with disability to those without.

They found people with disability are missing out on these life-saving screening programs all around the world, including for breast, cervical and bowel cancer.

In fact, some studies showed these cancers are more likely to be diagnosed at an advanced stage in people with disability. Once diagnosed, people with disability are still at a disadvantage with lower survival rates than cancer patients without disability.

A UK study of cancer deaths in people with intellectual disability found more than a third had their cancer diagnosed after going to the emergency department. Almost half of the cancers in the study were already at an advanced stage when diagnosed.

Another review of global evidence found cancer patients with disability receive poorer quality cancer care. This included delays in treatment, being undertreated or having excessively invasive treatment.

From diagnosis to treatment, global evidence shows people with disability are being excluded from health services that many people without disability routinely access and benefit from.

A UK study of cancer deaths in people with intellectual disability found more than a third had their cancer diagnosed after going to the emergency department.