Gender inequalities in cancer among young adults

A new Comment published in The Lancet Oncology presents and discusses the little-known finding that close to two thirds of the total cancer cases in young adults (ages 20–49 years) are diagnosed in women. Dr Salvatore Vaccarella, a scientist at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), is the lead author of the Comment.

The authors highlight the fact that three cancer types that affect exclusively or predominantly women – breast cancer, cervical cancer, and thyroid cancer – are the major contributors to the total cancer burden in young adults. The underlying reasons for the inequality in cancer incidence between the sexes in this age range are diverse in nature and impact, and are associated with unequal access to and inefficiencies in the health-care system and with socioeconomic conditions.

The Comment also emphasizes the potentially catastrophic consequences of a cancer diagnosis, particularly when it occurs in younger women.

Vaccarella S, Ginsburg O, Bray F.
Gender inequalities in cancer among young adults
Lancet Oncol, Published online 1 February 2021;
https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(21)00001-2

Read the Comment