Social determinants of sex disparities in cancer in Southeast Asia
Ma. Veronica Pia N. Arevalo,
Ethan Angelo S. Maslog,
Katherine Donatela Manlongat,
Eric David B. Ornos,
Imjai Chitapanarux,
Michelle Ann B. Eala,
Edward Christopher Dee
Affiliations
Ma. Veronica Pia N. Arevalo
College of Medicine, University of the Philippines, 1000 Manila, Philippines; Corresponding author
Ethan Angelo S. Maslog
College of Medicine, University of the Philippines, 1000 Manila, Philippines
Katherine Donatela Manlongat
PGSP-Stanford Psy.D. Consortium, Palo Alto, CA, USA
Eric David B. Ornos
College of Medicine, University of the Philippines, 1000 Manila, Philippines
Imjai Chitapanarux
Division of Radiation Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand; Northern Thai Research Group of Radiation Oncology (NTRG-RO), Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Michelle Ann B. Eala
College of Medicine, University of the Philippines, 1000 Manila, Philippines; Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Edward Christopher Dee
Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA; Corresponding author
Summary: Sex disparities in cancer exist along the cancer spectrum, ranging from genomic predisposition and behavioral risk factors to access to screening, diagnostics, treatment, and survivorship care. A growing body of research is studying the biological underpinnings of these differences, from cancer risk to tumor biology to treatment response. It is well known, however, that the social determinants of health play a large role across the cancer disease continuum, which encompasses risk, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, rehabilitation, and palliative care. Less literature focuses on the gendered disparities that are epidemiologic in nature, especially in Southeast Asia (SEA), a diverse region that is home to nearly 670 million people, where most are lower middle income countries, and where socioeconomic and cultural factors increase cancer risk for women. In this review, we highlight the social drivers of gendered disparities, namely the geographic, environmental, sociocultural, economic, and political forces that contribute to the increased mortality and poorer health outcomes in the region.
