Blind spots in women’s cancers highlight a wider European policy gap

Throughout my two years as Member of the European Parliament, I have fought tirelessly to bring women’s health to the forefront of the political agenda. While I am encouraged by the growing awareness among scholars, the life science industry, and EU institutions, we are only beginning to bridge the gender health gap. The continued lack of decisive action on ovarian cancer is a primary example of this neglect. 

In contrast to cervical cancer, Europe does not engage in developing effective wide screening methods for ovarian cancer. This contributes to a lack of early detection, with diagnosis often happening when patients are already at advanced stages¹. Plus, many women face major obstacles in getting timely treatment after the diagnosis². This is a problem that goes beyond ovarian cancer alone: it points to a broader systemic issue in women’s health, where many diseases remain under-recognized in both policy and everyday life^3,4. 

The EU is finally taking several steps in the right direction when it comes to women’s health. Improvements in gender-sensitive medicine, access to clinical trials, and reproductive health are among the key achievements in the Commission’s new Gender Equality Strategy that we, the members of the MEPs for Women’s Health Group have fought for. But while initiatives like the EU’s Beating Cancer Plan set an ambitious target of 90% screening coverage for breast and cervical cancer, we cannot allow other life-threatening diseases like ovarian cancer to be left behind. 

Bold political ambitions should be backed by tangible investments. I want the EU to use the European Competitiveness Fund to invest in women’s health, driving targeted R&D in precision oncology. Far too often, new research on women’s health is not matched by the policy commitments needed to turn insight into impact.  Europe benefits from world class innovation in ovarian cancer research, yet patients continue to face significant barriers to accessing it. In 2024, it took an average of 19 months for patients to access new therapies after approval, with significant variation between countries⁵. The result is delayed diagnosis, fragmented patient pathways, and unequal access to diagnostics across Europe⁶. Issues that can be tackled by replacing our 27 fragmented national health regimes with a coordinated European approach -including for screening and R&D- to tackle the gender health gap. 

Women’s health is still treated largely as a national concern, rather than what it truly is: a shared European challenge that calls for better coordination and a more integrated approach across borders.  

Making serious investments to address the gender health gap is more than a moral and medical necessity: it is an opportunity to strengthen our competitiveness as a continent. Healthier women can contribute more to our societies. And if we can help the European life sciences industry to become the world leader in tackling ovarian cancer, this will further benefit our prosperity as a continent. 

Let us invest in women’s health. Taking it seriously is how we show our citizens that we are willing to put their interests first and turn ambition into action. 

This article is funded by AbbVie

List of references

1. Chase DM, Abdel-Sayed L. Delayed Diagnosis of Ovarian Cancer and the Association With Disease Outcomes. JAMA Netw Open. 2026;9(3):e262374. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.2374  
2. Zouzoulas D, Karalis T, Sofianou I, Anthoulakis C, Tzika K, Zafrakas M, Timotheadou E, Grimbizis G, Tsolakidis D. The Impact of Treatment Delay on Endometrial and Ovarian Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review. Cancers (Basel). 2025 Jun 21;17(13):2076. doi: 10.3390/cancers17132076. PMID: 40647377; PMCID: PMC12248798.  
3. Manzano A, Košir U, Hofmarcher T. Bridging the gap in women’s cancers care: a global policy report on disparities, innovations and solutions. IHE Report 2025:12. The Swedish Institute for Health Economics (IHE); 2025. 
4.  UNWOMEN. Six uncomfortable truths about women’s health. https://www.unwomen.org/en/articles/explainer/six-uncomfortable-truths-about-womens-health, Last accessed: April 2026. 
5. EFPIA. EFPIA Patients W.A.I.T. Indicator 2024 Survey. https://www.efpia.eu/media/oeganukm/efpia-patients-wait-indicator-2024-final-110425.pdf, Last accessed: April 2026. 
6. Manzano A, Košir U, Hofmarcher T. Bridging the gap in women’s cancers care: a global policy report on disparities, innovations and solutions. IHE Report 2025:12. The Swedish Institute for Health Economics (IHE); 2025. 

AbbVie sa/nv – BE-ABBV-260064  (v1.0)  – May 2026

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