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Review
. 2025 Nov 1;37(6):529-533.
doi: 10.1097/CCO.0000000000001163. Epub 2025 Jun 23.

Progress in global breast cancer control

Dario Trapani  1   2 , Shilpa S Murthy  3
Affiliations
Review

Progress in global breast cancer control

Dario Trapani et al. Curr Opin Oncol. .

Abstract

Purpose of review: To examine the persistent global disparities in breast cancer outcomes, focusing on inequities in access to essential therapeutics, diagnostics, and emerging innovations, while highlighting current policy actions and international initiatives addressing these gaps.

Recent findings: Although survival rates for breast cancer have improved in high-income countries, significant inequalities remain in low- and middle-income settings. Access to timely diagnosis, standard treatments, and novel therapeutics such as targeted agents and immunotherapies is uneven. Recent global initiatives, including the WHO Global Breast Cancer Initiative, aim to enhance early detection, standardize care pathways, and improve access to affordable, quality-assured treatments. Policy frameworks are increasingly addressing issues of availability, affordability, and infrastructure, yet implementation remains inconsistent.

Summary: Bridging global breast cancer disparities demands coordinated action integrating health system strengthening, policy reform, and international collaboration. Equitable access to therapeutics and diagnostics must be prioritized to ensure that advancements in breast cancer care translate into improved outcomes worldwide.

Keywords: breast cancer; cancer policy; global cancer control; global oncology; national cancer control planning.

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References

    1. Bray F, Laversanne M, Sung H, et al. Global cancer statistics 2022: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA Cancer J Clin. 2024;74:229–63. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38572751/.
    1. Trapani D, Ginsburg O, Fadelu T, et al. Global challenges and policy solutions in breast cancer control. Cancer Treat Rev. 2022;104. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35074727/.
    1. Murthy SS, Trapani D, Cao B, et al. Premature mortality trends in 183 countries by cancer type, sex, WHO region, and World Bank income level in 2000–19: a retrospective, cross-sectional, population-based study. Lancet Oncol. 2024;25:969–78. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38964357/.
    1. Trapani D, Girardi F, Cinieri S, Curigliano G. There is no such a thing as a ‘biological’ basis for cancer disparities: a call to end misreporting of the ultimate determinants of health outcomes. Tumori. 2024;110:82–7. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37688414/.
    1. Guida F, Kidman R, Ferlay J, et al. Global and regional estimates of orphans attributed to maternal cancer mortality in 2020. Nat Med. 2022;28:2563–72. Available at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-022-02109-2.

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