News
Gender inequalities worsen women’s access to cancer prevention and care
Researchers call for a “feminist” agenda for cancer care to eliminate gender inequality
Unequal power dynamics across society have resounding negative impacts on how women interact with cancer prevention, care and treatment, researchers have found.
According to a new Lancet Commission, gender inequality and discrimination influence women’s rights and opportunities to avoid cancer risk factors and impede their ability to seek and receive timely diagnosis and care.
Furthermore, the study found that gender inequalities have resulted in an unpaid caregiver workforce that is predominantly female, risking hindering women’s professional advancement as leaders in cancer research and policymaking, which in turn perpetuates the lack of “women-centred” cancer care.
The Commission calls for a “feminist” agenda for cancer care to eliminate gender inequality where health systems, cancer workforces and research ecosystems are more inclusive and responsive to the needs of women in all their diversities.
Dr Ophira Ginsburg, senior advisor for clinical research at the National Cancer Institute’s Center for Global Health and co-chair of the Commission, said: “The impact of a patriarchal society on women’s experiences of cancer has gone largely unrecognised.
“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 under-represented. 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.”
‘Women’s cancers’
A paper, published in The Lancet Global Health, estimated that 5.3 million adults under 70 years old died from cancer in 2020 and that 2.3 million of these cancer deaths were in women.
The study suggested that one and a half million premature cancer deaths in women could be prevented each year through the elimination of exposures to key risk factors or via early detection and diagnosis, while a further 800 000 lives could be saved each year if all women had access to optimal cancer care.
Approximately 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, the research also showed.
The burden of cancer in women caused by these four risk factors is widely under-recognised, researchers argue. A study from 2019 found only 19 per cent of women attending breast cancer screening in the UK were aware that alcohol is a major risk factor for breast cancer.
“Discussion about cancer in women often focus on ‘women’s cancers’, such as breast and cervical cancer, 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,” said Dr Isabelle Soerjomataram, deputy branch head of cancer surveillance at IARC and co-chair of the Commission.
“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 needed as they are less well understood compared with cancer risk factors for men, researchers have said.
There is growing evidence to suggest a link between commercial products predominantly used by women, such as certain types of breast implants, skin lighteners and hair relaxers, and an increased risk of cancer.
Dr Verna Vanderpuye, senior consultant at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Ghana and co-chair of the Commission, said: “While men are at higher risk for most cancer types that develop in both sexes, women have approximately the same burden from all cancers combined, with 48 per cent of cancer cases and 44 per cent of cancer deaths worldwide occurring in women.
“Of the three million adults diagnosed with cancer under the age of 50 in 2020, two out of three were women. Cancer is a leading cause of mortality in women and many die in their prime of life, leaving behind an estimated one 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,” she added.
Gender inequalities in society
Globally, women are disadvantaged in terms of education and employment opportunities and are more likely to have fewer financial resources to help cope with cancer-related financial challenges.
An analysis from eight countries in Asia found almost three-quarters of women with cancer reported catastrophic expenditures in the year following their diagnosis, with 30 per cent or more of their annual household income spent on cancer-related expenses such as medical costs and complementary medicine.
“Gender norms mean women are often expected to prioritise the needs of their families at the expense of their own health, sometimes leading to the postponement of seeking healthcare,” explained Nirmala Bhoo-Pathy, professor of epidemiology at Universiti Malaya and Queen’s University Belfast.
Sexism within healthcare systems in the form of unconscious gender biases and discrimination can lead to women receiving sub-optimal care.
Multiple studies have found women with cancer are more likely to report inadequate pain relief and be at greater risk for undertreatment of pain compared to men.
These gender biases can be intensified when the person experiencing cancer is also part of a marginalised ethnic or indigenous group or has a diverse sexual orientation or gender identity.
A recent national survey in the US found African American women of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity reported higher intersectional stigma than any other group.
Gender inequalities in society also impact the cancer workforce as well as patients and caregivers, with women significantly underrepresented as leaders.
Carolyn Taylor, founder and executive director of Global Focus on Cancer, said: “A key, yet often underestimated, part of the oncology workforce is cancer advocates who are mostly women and represent the population most affected by cancer.
“Policy makers, academic and medical institutions must fully recognise the value of patient advocates, and integrate them into all aspects of the cancer care continuum.”
A ‘feminist’ agenda
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, making them responsive to the needs and aspirations of all women, whether they be patients, care providers or researchers.
The commissioners call for strategies targeted at increasing women’s awareness of cancer risk factors and symptoms, along with increasing equitable access to early detection and diagnosis of cancer.
“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,” said co-author Dr Shirin Heidari, president of GENDRO and senior researcher at Gender Centre, The Geneva Graduate Institute.
“In a society where women’s autonomy is infringed, it’s imperative that researchers, policymakers, organisations and healthcare providers do all they can to meet women’s diverse and unique needs during their experiences of cancer care.”
Dr Monica Bertagnolli, director of the National Cancer Institute, who was not involved in the Commission, said: “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.
“This is something that we can and should all support. Improved outcomes for women translate into benefits for households, communities, societies, and the world.”
Weekly app monitoring can reduce fatigue and improve daily life for women with metastatic breast cancer, according to a study.
The approach involves regularly asking patients about their wellbeing through an app and responding quickly when problems are identified.
Germany’s Federal Joint Committee, known as the G-BA, has recommended that the treatment model be incorporated into standard care.
Professor Maria Karsten, senior attending physician at the Charité Breast Cancer Center and initiator of the PRO B project, said: “The new medications often no longer need to be administered at the hospital but can be taken at home.
“As a result, we see patients less frequently at the hospital, and our medical oversight has become somewhat incomplete.
“In order to close this gap and provide patients with close support in spite of the distance, we have developed the PRO B digital treatment concept.”
Around 68,000 women in Germany are living with metastatic breast cancer, meaning the disease has spread to other organs.
At this stage, the cancer is generally considered incurable. Modern treatments can, however, temporarily control the disease and extend life expectancy by several years, with some women able to continue working.
At the centre of PRO B is an app that asks women up to 52 structured questions once a week about their symptoms, daily life and emotional wellbeing.
Questions include whether they have experienced pain, felt too tired to carry out their usual activities or experienced shortness of breath.
An algorithm analyses the answers and immediately alerts the treatment team when relevant changes are detected.
The team then contacts the patient within 48 hours to decide whether any action is needed.
Karsten said: “During these phone calls, for example, we discuss whether the dosage of anti-nausea medication should be adjusted or offer practical tips for managing the various symptoms.
“But we also detect serious side effects more quickly – such as those indicated by a seemingly harmless symptom like fatigue – and can immediately schedule the patient for an appointment at the hospital.”
The study involved 909 women with metastatic breast cancer aged 19 to 81 across 52 breast cancer centres in Germany and followed them for one year.
Around half received PRO B care alongside drug-based cancer treatment.
The other half answered questions about their wellbeing once every three months and were not contacted by their treatment teams in response.
Women receiving PRO B care reported significantly less fatigue, which refers to physical, emotional or mental exhaustion that can severely restrict daily life.
They also rated their physical functioning more positively and required fewer hospital admissions.
Karsten said: “These are effects that have a noticeable impact on the patients’ daily lives; the women are more capable and better able to manage their lives.
“We even have evidence that the PRO B approach extends the remaining lifespan for some patients. We are achieving all of this not through a new medication, but simply by regularly and systematically assessing the women’s well-being and responding accordingly.”
More than 90 per cent of women in the PRO B group said after the study that they wanted the approach to become part of routine care.
Stephanie Neumann-Johnston, 51, who took part in the study, said: “I feel like the app has saved my life several times.
“There are so many situations and incidents that you can’t make sense of – you have so many questions.
“With the app, I can look up common problems and find medically reviewed information, for example, about fatigue. That way, I can help myself, also on the weekends.
“And the personal contact provides me with emotional and medical support.
“For example, I can find out whether I’m allowed to take certain medication for a fever, or get an assessment of my situation: Should I go to the emergency department with these symptoms or not? The app takes a huge weight off your shoulders.”
Based on the medical findings and a health economic analysis, the G-BA recommended in June that PRO B should be incorporated into standard care.
This would allow patients with statutory health insurance to access the model in future when they receive the relevant diagnosis.
PD Dr Christoph Kowalski, department director at the German Cancer Society and a co-author, said: “This recommendation must now be implemented as quickly as possible.
“If a new care concept offers medical and economic benefits, we should not withhold it from the most seriously ill women.”
The health insurance companies involved in the project are also planning further developments so affected women can receive routine PRO B care before its wider introduction into standard care, with access expected to begin this autumn.
The care model will continue under the name “ida”, led by Karsten and her team.
The PRO B project ran from 2020 to 2024 and received around €4.8m from the Innovation Committee of the Federal Joint Committee.
The project was led by Karsten, with consortium partners BARMER, mkk – meine krankenkasse, DAK-Gesundheit, the German Cancer Society and OnkoZert GmbH.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in Germany, with around one in eight expected to develop the disease during their lifetime.
Worldwide, breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths.
Despite advances in treatment, 30 per cent of women with early-stage breast cancer and up to 70 per cent of those with lymph node involvement in later stages develop distant metastases, which typically make the disease incurable.
For patients with metastatic breast cancer, treatment aims to prolong life while maintaining the best possible quality of life.
Since 2016, the G-BA has been responsible for supporting new forms of care that go beyond existing standards, as well as health services research aimed at improving healthcare quality in Germany.
Its Innovation Fund is financed through contributions from statutory health insurance plans and the Health Fund.
Higher cumulative doses of common fertility drug clomiphene citrate may increase pregnancy loss risks, according to new research.
Around one in six people experience infertility, with irregular or absent ovulation among the most common causes.
Clomiphene citrate has long been a mainstay of fertility treatment, but Adelaide University research has raised concerns about higher cumulative doses.
The new study found that high doses of clomiphene citrate accumulated over multiple fertility treatment cycles could increase the risk of pregnancy loss.
Lead author associate professor Sheree Boulet said the findings showed a clear dose-response relationship, meaning the risks increased as cumulative exposure rose.
She said: “Women who received higher cumulative doses of clomiphene citrate experienced progressively greater risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes.
“We examined more than 21,000 embryo transfer cycles across four cumulative dose categories and found that increasing the dose did not significantly improve the chance of a live birth.
“Our findings suggest there may be a point where increasing the dose offers little additional benefit while exposing women to greater risk, highlighting the importance of carefully balancing effectiveness with safety when making treatment decisions.”
Supported by the NHMRC and conducted in partnership with Boston University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, researchers analysed 21,004 IVF embryo transfer cycles in the US.
Women receiving cumulative doses of 500mg to 749mg of clomiphene citrate had a 12 per cent higher risk of miscarriage, while those receiving 750mg to 999mg had a 38 per cent higher risk.
Women receiving cumulative doses of 750mg or more were also more than twice as likely to have twins or other multiple births.
Rates of spontaneous abortion, another term for miscarriage, increased as the dose rose.
Researchers also recorded more than a threefold increase in stillbirth at the highest dose, although the finding was not statistically significant because that dose was rare. Larger studies are needed to confirm the association.
The finding is consistent with an earlier Adelaide University study that showed a doubling of neonatal death in pregnancies involving clomiphene citrate. Neonatal death means the death of a baby shortly after birth.
Higher cumulative doses did not improve the chance of a live birth, but did increase twinning, which raises the risk of adverse outcomes for both mother and child.
Clomiphene citrate is one of the world’s most widely prescribed fertility drugs. It has been prescribed to millions of women worldwide since 1967 and remains a recommended first-line treatment for ovulation induction.
The drug is recognised as an essential medicine by the World Health Organization. It works by stimulating the ovaries to release eggs, increasing the chance of pregnancy.
Women who do not respond to lower doses, or who require multiple treatment cycles, may receive progressively higher cumulative doses over time.
The findings build on a series of studies from Adelaide University’s Robinson Research Institute linking clomiphene citrate with increased risks of pregnancy loss, stillbirth, perinatal death and some birth defects.
Experimental studies in mice supported these findings, showing that higher doses reduced successful pregnancies and were associated with pregnancy loss, impaired fetal growth and developmental abnormalities.
Professor Michael Davies, senior researcher and co-author of all the studies, said the latest work builds on more than two decades of Adelaide-led research into the safety of fertility treatments.
He said: “Clomiphene citrate has been used by many women since 1967, but it has never been comprehensively evaluated in large prospective clinical trials.
“Our studies indicate that women respond differently to clomiphene citrate and that increasing cumulative doses may increase the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes without improving the likelihood of a live birth.
“The findings confirm and extend our previous studies in both human and mouse models which highlight the need to better understand the dose-response relationship and whether more personalised dosing strategies could improve safety.
“Until we can better understand these differences, it remains important that clinicians rigorously follow manufacturer’s safety recommendations and avoid unnecessarily increasing cumulative doses.
“The same questions are now being asked of newer ovulation-inducing medications, so any move away from clomiphene citrate should also be guided by robust evidence rather than assumptions about safety.”
Women’s Health Week Europe 2026 has released its fully populated speaker and session lineup ahead of the event’s return to The Emirates Stadium in London on 7–8 October, with 80+ speakers now confirmed across two dedicated stages.
The programme
The agenda runs across two dedicated stages in parallel, plus two pitch competitions across both days.
The Global Stage opens with a keynote from Merete Clausen (EIF) before moving into sessions on funding trends, AI, the gender data gap, the wearable revolution, and European policy.
Standout sessions include The Age of Digital TransformAItion featuring Nichole Young-Lin (Google), Frida Polli (MIT), and Sapna Shah (Sie Ventures); Lone Wolf or Pack Leader on collaboration versus fragmentation, with Eirini Rapti (Inne), Tatum Getty (Thena Capital), Novo Nordisk, and Jen Roberts-Woods (Borski Fund); and a live debate on whether the women’s health label helps or hinders founders. Day one closes with a keynote from Alison Cave, Chief Safety Officer at the MHRA.
The Scale Stage runs a practical playbook track in parallel, with sessions covering regulatory approval pathways, international expansion, the founder’s legal playbook, PR strategy, and implementing AI into a women’s health business.
The Reverse Pitch flips the usual format: investors and corporates pitch the room on what they are actively looking to fund, acquire, or partner on right now.
View the full agenda and speaker lineup
Pitch competitions
The WHW Europe pitch competitions are back, taking place in front of the audience across both days on the mainstage. 16 finalists will compete across two categories: Consumer & Tech on day 1 and Medical Devices & Therapeutics on day 2.
Any company treating a condition that affects women exclusively, differently, or disproportionately is eligible to apply.
Applications and close 28 August 2026.
Previous alumni include Circe, who secured £100k from Innovate UK, BoobyBiome, who closed a £2.5M seed round post-WHW Europe, and Amilis, who secured £1M at London Tech Week after winning at WHW USA 2026.
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