Since the first celebrations of International Women's Day in the early 1900s, many changes and developments have impacted women's lives and their role in society. Women have been empowered, but still face gender-related risks everyday. Women’s health in Europe is one of our primary concerns.
Women's life expectancy in Europe is increasing, but the same is not always true of quality of life. We estimate that only 75% of the years that a European woman lives are spent in good health. You can imagine the suffering, the loss and the cost that that figure represents.
There are many areas where women’s health is at particular risk. Cancer is one example of a disease that can change both a woman's life and her social environment irreparably. Breast and cervical cancer are important causes of mortality and morbidity.
Breast cancer is a key challenge. It is by far the most frequent cancer in women across the European Union (nearly one in three cases) and is their second-leading cause of death.
This situation also represents a major challenge for all those committed to alleviating the suffering inflicted by breast cancer – health professionals, civil society organisations, caregivers, the scientific community, policy makers and industry. Over the past two decades, much progress has been made, thanks in large part to EU action.
To renew its commitment to improve cancer prevention and control, the European Commission launched the European Partnership for Action Against Cancer in 2009. The Partnership supports Member States in their efforts to reduce new cases of cancer by 15% by 2020 and to develop national cancer control plans.
Better prevention is a major priority for efforts to combat cancer, as it is for many other diseases. We estimate that one in three cancers could be avoided. As they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. We know the risk factors and helping the public avoid them should be a primary focus of our efforts.
