Cancer survival is clearly linked to socioeconomic status, according to the latest figures for England and Wales which were published last week.

The report, produced by the Office for National Statistics, the Cancer Research Campaign, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, suggested that over 12700 deaths from cancer could be avoided every year if all patients shared the survival rates of the most affluent patients. The report also revealed that overall cancer survival rates in England and Wales lag behind those of other European countries and the United States.

The study followed nearly three million adults and 18000 children who …