the health strategist
institute for continuous health systems transformation
Joaquim Cardoso MSc.
Founder and CEO
Education:
Engineering (BSc Post Graduation), Administration (MSc.), Technology (MSc thesis)
Experience:
Researcher, Professor, Editor and Consultant (Senior Advisor)
What is the message?
Gender inequality and discrimination have significant negative impacts on women’s experiences with cancer prevention, diagnosis, and care, leading to unnecessary deaths and disparities in cancer outcomes worldwide.
Another study published in the Lancet Global Health suggests that 1.5 million premature cancer deaths in women under 70 in 2020 could have been prevented through early detection and the elimination of key risk factors.
Here are the key points supported by statistics and examples:
- 800,000 Women Worldwide Die Needlessly Due to Inequalities: According to research, 800,000 women globally die unnecessarily every year due to being denied optimal cancer care, highlighting the urgent need to address gender-based disparities.
- Cancer as a Leading Cause of Premature Death for Women: Cancer ranks among the top three causes of premature death for women in almost every country on every continent, emphasizing the severity of the issue.
- Impact of Gender Inequality on Cancer Prevention and Treatment: The largest report on women and cancer in 185 countries reveals that unequal power dynamics in society have “resounding negative impacts” on how women experience cancer prevention and treatment.
- Focus on “Women’s Cancers”: Despite lung and colorectal cancer being among the top three causes of cancer deaths, there is a particular focus on “women’s cancers” like breast and cervical cancer, reflecting disparities in attention and resources allocation.
- Lack of Female Leadership in Cancer Research and Policy: Gender inequalities hinder women’s advancement as leaders in cancer research, practice, and policymaking, contributing to the lack of women-centered cancer prevention and care.
- The Call for a Feminist Approach: The article calls for a new feminist agenda for cancer care to eliminate gender inequality in the field. The recommendation is based on the recognition that patriarchal societies have largely overlooked the impact of gender on women’s cancer experiences.
- Preventable Deaths Through Early Detection and Prevention: Another study published in the Lancet Global Health suggests that 1.5 million premature cancer deaths in women under 70 in 2020 could have been prevented through early detection and the elimination of key risk factors.
- Underrecognition of Major Risk Factors: Major risk factors for cancer in women, such as tobacco, alcohol, obesity, and infections, are widely underrecognized. For example, many women attending breast cancer screening are unaware that alcohol is a significant risk factor for breast cancer.
- Need for Gender-Specific Policies: The article argues for gender-specific policies that increase awareness and reduce exposure to risk factors, especially in industries like tobacco and alcohol that target marketing toward women.
- Less Understanding of Cancer Risk Factors for Women: Cancer risk factors for women are less well-understood compared to those for men, emphasizing the need for greater scrutiny and research in this area.
- Importance of a Feminist Approach: By addressing the specific factors that contribute to the substantial global burden of cancer in women, a feminist approach can reduce the impact of cancer for all.
- Inclusion of Sex and Gender in Policies: The commission calls for the inclusion of sex and gender in all cancer-related policies and guidelines to transform the ways women interact with the cancer health system.
In summary, the article highlights the urgent need for a feminist approach to cancer care to eliminate gender-based disparities in cancer outcomes. It provides statistics and examples to emphasize the detrimental impact of gender inequality and discrimination on women’s experiences with cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.
‘Feminist approach’ to cancer could save lives of 800,000 women a year
Gender inequality and discrimination impede timely diagnoses and quality care for women around the world, says report
The Guardian
Andrew Gregory Health editor
September 26, 2023
Health experts are calling for a “feminist approach” to cancer to eliminate inequalities, as research reveals 800,000 women worldwide are dying needlessly every year because they are denied optimal care.
Cancer is one of the biggest killers of women and ranks in their top three causes of premature deaths in almost every country on every continent.
But gender inequality and discrimination are reducing women’s opportunities to avoid cancer risks and impeding their ability to get a timely diagnosis and quality care, according to a report published in the Lancet.
The largest report of its kind, which studied women and cancer in 185 countries, found unequal power dynamics across society globally were having “resounding negative impacts” on how women experience cancer prevention and treatment.
There was particular focus on “women’s cancers” — including breast and cervical — despite lung and colorectal cancer being among the top three causes of deaths from the disease, researchers said.
Gender inequalities are also hindering women’s professional advancement as leaders in cancer research, practice and policymaking, which in turn perpetuates the lack of women-centred cancer prevention and care, the report adds.
The commission brought together a multidisciplinary and diverse team from around the globe. It included experts in gender studies, human rights, law, economics, social sciences, cancer epidemiology, prevention, and treatment, as well as patient advocates, to analyse how women around the world experience cancer.
It is calling for a new feminist agenda for cancer care to eliminate gender inequality.
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The impact of a patriarchal society on women’s experiences of cancer has gone largely unrecognised,” said Dr Ophira Ginsburg, a senior adviser for clinical research at the National Cancer Institute’s Centre for Global Health and a co-chair of the commission.
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Globally, women’s health is often focused on reproductive and maternal health, aligned with narrow anti-feminist definitions of women’s value and roles in society, while cancer remains wholly underrepresented.
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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.”
Another 1.5 m premature cancer deaths in women under 70 in 2020 could have been prevente
A second study published in the Lancet Global Health suggests 1.5m premature cancer deaths in women under 70 in 2020 could have been prevented with the elimination of exposures to key risk factors or via early detection and diagnosis.
The research analysed premature deaths from cancer among women aged 30 to 69 and found a further 800,000 lives could be saved each year if all women had access to optimal cancer care.
About 1.3 million women of all ages died in 2020 due to four of the major risk factors for cancer: tobacco, alcohol, obesity, and infections. But the burden of cancer in women caused by these four risk factors is “widely underrecognised”, the report says.
For example, a study from 2019 found only 19% of women attending breast cancer screening in the UK were aware that alcohol is a major risk factor for breast cancer.
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Discussions about cancer in women often focus on ‘women’s cancers’, such as breast and cervical cancer,” said Dr Isabelle Soerjomataram, a co-chair of the commission. “But about 300,000 women under 70 die each year from lung cancer, and 160,000 from colorectal cancer: two of the top three causes of cancer death among women, globally.
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Furthermore, for the last few decades in many high-income countries, deaths from lung cancer in women have been higher than deaths from breast cancer. 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.”
Greater scrutiny of the causes and risk factors for cancer in women is also needed as they are less well understood compared with cancer risk factors for men.
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Of the 3 million adults diagnosed with cancer under the age of 50 in 2020, two out of three were women,” said Dr Verna Vanderpuye, a co-chair of the commission.
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Cancer is a leading cause of mortality in women and many die in their prime of life, leaving behind an estimated 1 million children in 2020 alone. There are important factors specific to women which contribute to this substantial global burden — by addressing these through a feminist approach we believe this will reduce the impact of cancer for all.”
To counter the negative impact of gender inequality and transform the ways women interact with the cancer health system, the commission argues for sex and gender to be included in all cancer-related policies and guidelines.
It also calls for strategies targeted at increasing women’s awareness of cancer risk factors and symptoms, along with increasing equitable access to early detection, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
Writing in a linked comment, Dr Monica Bertagnolli, the director of the National Cancer Institute, who was not involved in the commission, said the recommendations must be acted on.
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Achieving gender equality in the context of cancer research and care will require broad implementation of the recommendations in the Lancet Commission on women, power, and cancer, including the overarching priority action that sex and gender be included in all cancer-related policies and guidelines so that they are responsive to the needs and aspirations of women in all of their diversities.
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This is something that we can and should all support. Improved outcomes for women translate into benefits for households, communities, societies, and the world.”
Originally published at https://www.theguardian.com on September 26, 2023.
Names mentioned
- Dr. Ophira Ginsburg
- Dr. Isabelle Soerjomataram
- Dr. Verna Vanderpuye
- Dr. Monica Bertagnolli
