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Tackling the growing burden of breast, cervical cancer in Asia-Pacific
Low awareness, stigma and a lack of access to quality and timely screening, diagnosis, treatment and care services are three key factors that lead women in lower- and middle-income countries to high vulnerability to breast and cervical cancer.
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The ECHO project: A man inquires at the information desk of Dharmais hospital in Jakarta. Dharmais focuses on breast cancer treatment, pediatric cancer treatment and early detection of breast cancer in the Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) project. (JP/Sylviana Hamdani) (JP/Sylviana Hamdani)
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omen in Asia-Pacific are facing a growing threat of breast and cervical cancer, which now stand at a disproportionately higher rate than the global average.
Although early diagnosis has led patients to more effective treatment, certain circumstances have denied women in the region from receiving the proper care they need.
Women’s cancer poses a threat both to healthcare systems and society. Not just women as individuals, the society as a whole also bears the impacts of any disruptions to people’s access to cancer care.
A new report jointly released in a global webinar on Aug. 22 by the Asia-Pacific Women’s Cancer Coalition, Roche and Economist Impact has reminded us the fight against cancers in women still has a long way to go.
The report highlights the fact that breast and cervical cancers now pose significant and rising threats to women in Asia although these diseases actually can be prevented through regular screenings or early detection.
“The burden of cancer is increasing worldwide, including an increasing proportion of cancers affecting women. Women are impacted differently than men across many different cancers, with distinct gender-related risk factors, which impact incidence, care and mortality,” says the report titled “Impact and Opportunity: The Case for Investing in Women’s Cancers in Asia-Pacific”.
The report is based on a series of studies about the burden of women’s cancer, specifically breast and cervical cancer, in six Asia-Pacific countries: Indonesia, India, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
