The most critical finding [from Roche’s recent report] is the urgent need for a women-centric approach to women's cancers

There is a large and concerning variation in prevention, screening, and diagnosis in the region, hence we have to really look at how women would like to receive care in health systems across the region, and where we could integrate pathways to care. 

The second big finding is that we need to bring stakeholders together. Tackling cancer requires both the public and the private sides of healthcare systems to come together and create meaningful partnerships to solve the issues at hand.

Additionally, as with anything in healthcare, you need strong political will – you need people who are going to champion the cause and who want to see it through by prioritising women's cancer as key policy areas, implementing effective and sustainable funding models, establishing robust plans and measures, enhancing screening and prevention efforts, and tailoring approaches to improve equitable access.

We hope this work will inspire individual countries to take actions to accelerate their progress towards WHO targets for breast cancer management and cervical cancer elimination.

In Asia, women are diagnosed with cervical cancer at a disproportionately higher rate than the global average. The biggest challenge is limited access to earlier screening and diagnosis

Screening with high-performance tests such as HPV DNA can detect precancerous changes early, enabling timely intervention. The lack of access to these programmes results in delayed diagnosis and treatment, and as a result, something that can be completely prevented or cured becomes fatal. Economic disparities also mean that women in lower-income groups may have less access to healthcare services and may prioritise other pressing needs over preventive healthcare. 

Another concern is the lack of readiness and infrastructure in the region. Healthcare infrastructure is often underdeveloped, with limited access to healthcare facilities, especially in rural areas, which can hinder early detection and treatment of cervical cancer.

Awareness about risk factors associated with cancer is low in some Asian communities, and women are less likely than men to have the knowledge, as well as the agency, to make informed healthcare decisions for themselves, particularly cancer-related healthcare decisions

Women are not given the necessary information about the importance of regular screenings, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, and safe sexual practices to reduce the risk of HPV transmission. 

Cultural beliefs and stigma around reproductive health issues definitely play into low awareness of these diseases, which hinders open conversations about cervical cancer. This can lead to women avoiding seeking medical help until the disease has progressed significantly.

Though the risk factors of breast and cervical cancers differ, the overall principles and obstacles (such as prevention, early detection, patient-centric treatment, importance of tailoring strategies for effective prevention and management and low health literacy) are pertinent to both. 

Asian women tend to be diagnosed with breast cancer earlier than their western counterparts

This places a major strain on relatively young families, including financially, since they need to give up work. This can also lead to an increase in maternal orphans, driving an intergenerational cycle of poverty.

In Malaysia, about 40 percent of women are dying of breast cancer. That's a significantly high rate. And when you look closer, a lot of these are young women between 35 and 50 years of age. 

These are all women that could have had productive, full lives, but because women’s cancers are not given enough importance, many of them simply won’t be given the chance to. 

According to the WHO, if steps are taken to diagnose and initiate treatment earlier and women are able to complete this treatment, there could be a decrease in breast cancer mortality of 2.5 percent per year. These steps have the potential to save 2.5 million women’s lives globally in 20 years

That is an incredible number, with millions of those women saved in Asia Pacific, and that’s before we even consider the positive benefits for their families and broader communities. 

Of course, this kind of systemic change isn’t a quick fix and that’s why groups like the Women’s Cancer Coalition are so important in bringing greater visibility to the issues and pushing for change.

Thrusting women’s cancer care to the fore is key. We have to realise that women's cancer care isn't just a niche concern, it's a vital discourse. Women constitute around half of the population—anything that affects them is not a small or infrequent—it impacts us all

One way to do this is by normalising conversations about women’s health. For example, ask loved ones, “Have you had a check-up in the last 12 months?” to encourage them to prioritise their health. 

The next area we can improve is bringing partners together to drive this change for women. We need political and healthcare champions across different parts of the healthcare system. We all have to create strong goals aligned with WHO targets such as eradicating cervical cancer, decreasing breast cancer mortality, increasing the rates of early detection and screening, improving surveillance, and creating robust population-based cancer registries. By focusing on country-specific prevention strategies, early detection measures, financial support, policy, and research, we can make significant strides in reducing the impact of breast and cervical cancers on women's health. 

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