Photo Credit: Kulpreya Chaichatpornsuk

The following is a summary of “Global status and attributable risk factors of breast, cervical, ovarian, and uterine cancers from 1990 to 2021,” published in the January 2025 issue of Oncology by Li et al. 

Female-specific cancers, including breast, cervical, ovarian, and uterine cancers, represent nearly 40% of all cancers in women. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study on global trends of female-specific cancers from 1990 to 2021, providing insights into evolving patterns and guiding healthcare resource allocation. 

They used data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 (GBD 2021) to assess global incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of female-specific cancers. Age-standardized rates enabled cross-regional comparisons, while the socio-demographic index (SDI) categorized regions evaluated cancer burden correlations with economic levels. They also assessed risk factors contributing to cancer deaths and DALYs using the GBD project’s comparative risk assessment model. 

The results showed that in 2021, breast cancer had 2.08 million incident cases, 0.66 million deaths, and 20.25 million DALYs. Cervical, ovarian, and uterine cancers had 0.67 million, 0.30 million, and 0.47 million incident cases, respectively. Age-standardized rates for breast, ovarian, and uterine cancers correlated positively with SDI, while cervical cancer had a negative correlation. Risk factors for breast cancer deaths included dietary risks, high body-mass index (BMI), high fasting plasma glucose, alcohol, tobacco use, and low physical activity. Cervical cancer was linked to unsafe sex and tobacco use, ovarian cancer to high BMI and occupational risks, and uterine cancer to high BMI. 

Investigators found that the burden of female-specific cancers had increased, with significant regional and demographic disparities, highlighting the need for targeted public health interventions. 

Source: jhoonline.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13045-025-01660-y