AMA Journal of Ethics

Most cancer deaths happen in low- and middle-income countries. Up to half of cancers are preventable, but several issues challenge prioritization of prevention, so it remains neglected.

Redirecting focus from treatment to prevention is a global public health imperative.

HPV tests are alternatives to Pap smear screening that enable women to self-collect specimens and might be the best cervical cancer prevention strategy for many.

Eliminating cervical cancer inequality means transmen need regular, unimpeded access to regular Pap screening.

Mortality rates for breast cancer are higher where treatments are unavailable and unaffordable. Though less effective, breast examination could be a good screening approach.

Limited understanding of disease etiology often leads to resistance, which can result in low vaccine uptake.

A patient’s story represents an ethical dilemma of cancer screening: it can save lives but generates diagnostic morbidity and incurs costs.

Cervical cancer has become rare in high-income countries but is a leading cause of mortality among women in low- and middle-income countries. This inequity is an epidemiological tragedy.

A fearless child inspires compassion, particularly regarding our clinical, political, and ethical orientation to ongoing practices of separating children from parents at the US southern border.

Inequity makes it imperative to consider how trade and patent policies influence international patients’ access to treatment and prevention.