The global burden of women’s cancers: a grand challenge in global health

Each year, more than 2 million women are diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer, yet where a woman lives largely determines whether she will develop one of these cancers, have access to timely and effective diagnostic and treatment services, and ultimately survive. Premature death and disability from cancer is a preventable tragedy for hundreds of thousands of women and their families every year. In regions with limited resources, and a fragile or fragmented health system, cancer contributes to the cycle of poverty. This is most striking for cervical cancer, as more than eight in ten women diagnosed and nine in ten women who die from cervical cancer live in a low- or middle-income country. There are proven and cost-effective approaches…