ICANEQUAL multi-stakeholder partnership

Liver cancer is the fifth most common cancer worldwide and the number of people being diagnosed with, and dying from, liver cancer has increased over the past 10 years. Early diagnosis and timely and appropriate treatment are known to improve results for patients. However, in the UK, not all liver cancer patients get a timely diagnosis and access to the best treatment. When this happens, patients have poorer quality of life, and reduced chances of survival.

These inequalities in access affect under-served groups such as people experiencing social disadvantage or living in remote and rural communities. Currently we don’t fully understand why these inequalities exist, and until we understand more about how and why they arise, they will be very difficult to reduce.

The purpose of this partnership is to build a Community of Expertise (a group of individuals who share interest in HCC) through conversations with key stakeholders. This will enable us to develop the understanding needed to reduce inequalities in HCC diagnosis and treatment. We work closely with charities, community groups and patient groups such as the British Liver Trust, Egality Health, Can-Survive UK, BME Cancer Communities and the Wai Yin Society. This partnership include communities that typically do not participate in HCC research but are most impacted by the current inequalities. Our public and patient partners are involved in the design and conduct of the partnership, as well as any subsequent research.