Women often face expectations to prioritize their families’ needs over their own health, leading to delayed healthcare seeking, says a Lancet report

Gender inequalities are exacerbating women’s access to cancer prevention, detection, and care, leading to 2.3 million premature female cancer-related deaths annually. A new analysis reveals that approximately 1.5 million women’s lives could be saved by eliminating key risk factors or providing early detection and diagnosis. Additionally, another 800,000 deaths could be prevented if all women had access to optimal cancer care.

The report, titled ‘Women, Power, and Cancer: A Lancet Commission,’ brings together a multidisciplinary team of experts from around the world, including scholars specializing in gender studies, human rights, law, economics, social sciences, cancer epidemiology, prevention, treatment, and patient advocates. Their goal is to analyze the experiences of women worldwide with cancer and provide recommendations to policymakers, governments, civil society, and health and social care systems.

Dr. Ophira Ginsburg, Senior Advisor for Clinical Research at the National Cancer Institute’s Center for Global Health and co-chair of the Commission, stresses the unrecognized impact of a patriarchal society on women’s cancer experiences. She calls for a feminist approach to cancer, stating, “Our Commission highlights that gender inequalities significantly impact women’s experiences with cancer. To address this, we need cancer to be seen as a priority issue in women’s health and call for the immediate introduction of a feminist approach to cancer.”

The Commission’s analysis, using the GLOBOCAN 2020 database on cancer mortality, reveals that in 2020, 5.3 million adults under 70 years old died from cancer, with 2.3 million of these deaths occurring in women. It also identifies that 1.5 million premature cancer deaths in women could be prevented each year through risk factor elimination and early detection, while an additional 800,000 lives could be saved annually with better access to optimal cancer care.

The report highlights that approximately 1.3 million women of all ages died in 2020 due to four major cancer risk factors: tobacco, alcohol, obesity, and infections. Notably, many women remain unaware of the risk factors, as demonstrated by a 2019 study in the UK, where only 19% of women attending breast cancer screening were aware of alcohol’s major role in breast cancer risk.

Dr. Isabelle Soerjomataram, Deputy Branch Head of Cancer Surveillance at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and co-chair of the Commission, points out the need for gender-specific policies to counteract targeted marketing by the tobacco and alcohol industry. She states, “The tobacco and alcohol industry target marketing of their products specifically at women; we believe it’s time for governments to counteract these actions with gender-specific policies that increase awareness and reduce exposure to these risk factors.”

The study also emphasizes the need for greater scrutiny of cancer risk factors specific to women, such as certain products predominantly used by women, like breast implants, skin lighteners, and hair relaxers, which may increase cancer risk.

Dr. Verna Vanderpuye, senior consultant at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Ghana, and co-chair of the Commission, points out that women bear a substantial global burden of cancer, with approximately 48% of cancer cases and 44% of cancer deaths worldwide occurring in women.

Gender inequalities in society also affect women’s experiences as cancer patients and within the cancer workforce. Women often face expectations to prioritize their families’ needs over their own health, leading to delayed healthcare seeking. Also, gender norms often exclude men from childcare responsibilities, making it challenging for mothers to seek care for their own health needs.

Prof. Nirmala Bhoo-Pathy, co-author of the report, adds, “Our Commission exposes the asymmetries of power which influence women’s experiences of cancer and makes the recommendations required to advance an intersectional feminist approach that would reduce the impact of cancer for all.”

Dr Monica Bertagnolli, director of the National Cancer Institute, highlights the importance of achieving gender equality in cancer research and care. She calls for the implementation of the Commission’s recommendations, including the inclusion of sex and gender in all cancer-related policies and guidelines, to address the diverse needs and aspirations of women.

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