Building on our understanding of gynecologic cancers
How we’re driving research forward for women with common types of gynecologic cancer
December 16, 2024
By the numbers, the impact of gynecologic cancers feels overwhelming. The term “gynecologic cancers” primarily refers to cancers of three organs: the uterus, ovaries and cervix. As of 2022, these gynecologic cancers are some of the most commonly occurring cancer types for women worldwide. Even with advances in prevention and treatment, nearly 700,000 are projected to die from these diseases every year.
“To truly understand where we can begin to make progress, we need to look beyond the numbers,” said Dr. Gursel Aktan, vice president, global clinical development.
Understanding the trend
While “gynecologic cancers” primarily refers to the three cancer types mentioned above, it may also include cancers of the fallopian tube, vagina, and vulva.
“While the gynecologic cancer rates vary from country to country, the overall incidence rates of endometrial and cervical cancers have increased over time.”
- Dr. Gursel Aktan
Endometrial cancer, which affects the lining of the uterus, is the most common gynecologic cancer in developed countries. Incidence rates for cervical and endometrial cancers, which mainly affect post-menopausal women, have been rising globally over the last two decades. The highest rates of diagnosis and death from gynecologic cancers were found in Eastern and Southern Africa and Melanesia.
“Unfortunately, many women may not recognize their symptoms as abnormal until their tumors are larger or may have spread,” said Dr. Aktan.
Building on what we have learned
“As our understanding of cancer continues to improve, there have been meaningful advances in cancer therapy, but we still have work to do to achieve our goal of helping more patients,” said Dr. Aktan.
To build on that momentum, we’re driving forward research focused on novel approaches for patients with certain gynecologic cancers with ~12 clinical trials for ~8,000 patients around the world. This work is grounded in our company’s three key focus areas in oncology research:
- Evaluating combinations that play different roles in adjusting the immune response.
- Precision molecular targeting to impact pathways that drive cancer growth.
- Investigating ways to increase cancer cell sensitivity to immune responses.
“We’re also still learning about the right sequence in which to use treatments, and the truth is, the answers may be different tumor by tumor, patient by patient,” said Dr. Aktan.
“The better we understand how we can use these approaches to further cancer care, the closer we move toward our ultimate goal of supporting patients touched by cancer.”
- Dr. Gursel Aktan
Learn more about our work in oncology.
