CANCER survival rates in inner-city Bradford are among the worst in the country, a health scrutiny meeting will be told this week.

While more and more people are beating cancer across the district, survival rates in the inner city remain the seventh worst in the country.

And the local GPs' organisation covering this area says this is because patients are not seeking medical help quickly enough when they develop symptoms of cancer.

The GP-led Bradford City Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has urged people with unusual symptoms to get them checked out by their doctor as soon as possible.

In the Bradford City CCG area, around 65 per cent of people diagnosed with cancer survive at least a year.

But in both the Bradford Districts CCG area and the Airedale Wharfedale and Craven CCG area, survival rates were higher, at around 70 per cent.

Councillor Ralph Berry, Bradford Council's portfolio holder for health, said deprived areas often had high rates of cancer, adding that rates of smoking remained a problem in the inner city.

He said: "There is clearly a lot that can and must be done."

A spokesman for NHS Bradford City and NHS Bradford Districts CCGs said: "Unfortunately, the main cause of the low survival rate in City CCG is late disclosure of symptoms by patients to a healthcare professional.

"It is always important for everyone to be aware of any unusual symptoms and get them checked out by their GP, and to take up any screening invites they receive from the NHS."

She said the City CCG was focusing on improving uptake of bowel and cervical screening, and recently held a cancer screening awareness event in the city centre.

Dr Phil Pue, chief clinical officer at NHS Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven CCG, said they were working with a national programme to look at innovative ways of detecting cancer earlier.

He said: "The CCG is committed to improving cancer detection and treatment standards to improve outcomes for our patients and whilst we are pleased with our progress, we know we have more work to do."

Bradford Council's health and social care overview and scrutiny committee will meet to discuss the annual reports of each of the CCGs at City Hall on Thursday.

The reports also highlight some medical successes in the Bradford district, notably the Bradford Beating Diabetes campaign.

The spokesman for NHS Bradford City and NHS Bradford Districts CCGs said: "More than 12,000 people who are at risk of developing diabetes in the City area have so far taken part in the Bradford Beating Diabetes programme and the campaign is now being taken up by Districts CCG."