Latest news with #FrontiersinPublicHealth
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
2 days ago
- Health
- Business Standard
Rising temperatures may be driving cancer risk in women, warns study
Global warming could be making cancer in women more common and more deadly, a new study has highlighted. Researchers examining data from the 17 Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries found that rising temperatures are strongly linked to higher rates of breast, ovarian, cervical, and uterine cancers in women. The region, which is expected to warm by 3–4 degrees Celsius nearly 30 years ahead of the global average, is already seeing the health impacts. Published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, the study titled Climate change and women's cancer in the MENA region: assessing temperature-related health impacts, said that climate change—long-term shifts in temperature and weather patterns primarily driven by the burning of fossil fuels, could be behind increasing cancer rates and deaths among women in the Middle East and North Africa. How does heat exposure increase cancer risk in women? The study found that for every 1 degree Celsius rise in temperature, cancer prevalence among women increased, with ovarian cancer showing the highest rise, followed by uterine, cervical, and breast cancers. Mortality rates also rose, indicating that heat may not only increase the chances of developing cancer but also make it deadlier. Researchers say high temperatures can worsen air pollutio n, increase exposure to carcinogens like endocrine-disrupting chemicals, and affect healthcare delivery. These changes collectively disrupt the body's cellular processes and immune response, making it more vulnerable to cancer. Which MENA countries are most affected by heat-linked cancers? The study found a strong link between heat and cancer in only six countries: Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Syria. These nations experience some of the world's highest summer temperatures, which could amplify exposure to cancer-causing pollutants and strain healthcare systems. Qatar, in particular, showed the most significant increase, with breast cancer cases rising by 560 per 100,000 women for every degree rise in temperature. The UAE, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia also showed alarming increases in cancer mortality with temperature hikes. Why are women more vulnerable to heat-related cancers? Biologically, women are more sensitive to certain environmental stressors. Socially and economically, many women in the MENA region have limited access to timely diagnosis and treatment due to gender norms and healthcare inequities. In some areas, cultural stigma around breast and reproductive health prevents women from seeking help early, further compounding the risk. Pregnancy and hormonal cycles also increase women's susceptibility to pollutants and high temperatures, intensifying the health burden from climate change. Is climate change the only factor behind the cancer surge? No, climate change is one part of a complex problem with other factors like genetics, lifestyle, healthcare access, and societal norms also playing roles. The researchers, in the report, have called for strengthening cancer screening programs, improving healthcare, and educating women about the risks, especially in heat-vulnerable countries, to integrate climate adaptation into cancer prevention and treatment strategies. The researchers also recommend cross-sector collaboration between health, environmental, and urban planning departments to build climate-resilient healthcare systems. Even though the study focuses on MENA countries, this research might be a warning for other hotter regions also, because, as global temperatures rise, more areas could begin facing similar patterns.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Climate change could be fueling cancer deaths in women
Higher temperatures spurred by climate change could be increasing women's risk of cancer, a new study says. Increasing heat in the Middle East and North Africa has made breast, ovarian, uterine and cervical cancers more common and more deadly, researchers reported Monday in the journal Frontiers in Public Health. For each additional degree Celsius, cases and deaths of female cancers increased, researchers found. "As temperatures rise, cancer mortality among women also rises -- particularly for ovarian and breast cancers," lead investigator Wafa Abu El Kheir-Mataria said in a news release. She's a global health governance and health equity researcher at the American University in Cairo. Increased cancer in these countries could serve as a bellwether for what might happen in nations like the United States with currently cooler climes, researchers said. "Although the increases per degree of temperature rise are modest, their cumulative public health impact is substantial," Mataria added. For the study, researchers tracked cancers occurring in 17 Middle Eastern and North African countries, including Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudia Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and the Palestinian territories. These countries are already experiencing striking temperature increases tied to climate change, researchers noted. "Women are physiologically more vulnerable to climate-related health risks, particularly during pregnancy," senior researcher Sungsoo Chun said in a news release. He's associate chair of the Institute of Global Health and Human Ecology at the American University in Cairo. Researchers compared each nation's temperatures to its cancer statistics between 1998 and 2019, and found that rising heat was associated with more cancer cases and deaths. Cancers increased by 173 to 280 cases per 100,000 people for every additional degree Celsius, results show. Ovarian cancers cases rose the most, and breast cancers the least. Likewise, cancer deaths rose by 171 to 332 deaths per 100,000 for each degree of temperature rise, with the greatest increase in ovarian cancer and the smallest in cervical cancer. Six countries experienced the brunt of this increase in cases and deaths -- Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Syria. Although hotter temps are a probable risk factor, the heat might also increase other cancer risk factors like air pollution, researchers said. "Temperature rise likely acts through multiple pathways," Chun said. "It increases exposure to known carcinogens, disrupts healthcare delivery, and may even influence biological processes at the cellular level. Together, these mechanisms could elevate cancer risk over time." However, researchers noted that the study can't draw a direct cause-and-effect link between climate change and cancers. More research is needed to better understand how higher temperatures might influence cancer risk. In the meantime, researchers said public health officials should consider climate-related risks in their planning. "Strengthening cancer screening programs, building climate-resilient health systems, and reducing exposure to environmental carcinogens are key steps," Chun said. "Without addressing these underlying vulnerabilities, the cancer burden linked to climate change will continue to grow." More information The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about how climate change can impact human health. Copyright © 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Warming Linked to Rising Cancer Rates Among Women in the Middle East
New research finds a link between increasingly extreme heat in the Middle East and rising rates of cancer in women. For the study, researchers amassed data on breast, ovarian, cervical, and uterine cancer across North Africa and the Middle East from 1998 to 2019. They found that as temperatures in the region rose, so did cancer rates in Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Syria, which are prone to extremely hot summers. For every additional degree Celsius of warming, the regional prevalence of each of the four cancers ticked up, with breast cancer rising by as many as 280 cases per 100,000 people. Mortality also rose, by as much as 332 deaths per 100,000 people for ovarian cancer. The findings were published in Frontiers in Public Health. Researchers said that increasingly extreme heat is making air pollution worse, weakening our immune systems, and putting additional strain on hospitals. These and other factors could be driving up the risk of cancer. In War-Torn Sudan, a Gold Mining Boom Takes a Human Toll
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Climate change could be driving up cancer rates in women, study finds
In the U.S., cancer rates are going up—especially for young and middle-aged women, whose cancer diagnoses have surpassed those of men. Women under 50 are now almost twice as likely to develop cancer than men of the same age, according to the American Cancer Society's latest cancer statistics report—and the gap has been widening since the early 2000s. Experts say there are likely multiple factors behind the growing cancer rates in young adults, including childhood bacteria exposure and ultra-processed foods. New research indicates another monumental culprit, especially for women: climate change. In a new study published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, researchers discovered that climate change—long-term shifts in temperature and weather patterns primarily driven by the burning of fossil fuels—could be behind increasing cancer rates and deaths among women in the Middle East and North Africa. 'As temperatures rise, cancer mortality among women also rises—particularly for ovarian and breast cancers,' said lead author Wafa Abuelkheir Mataria of the American University in Cairo in the press release. 'Although the increases per degree of temperature rise are modest, their cumulative public health impact is substantial.' The study, which gathered data from 17 Middle Eastern and North African countries most vulnerable to warming temperatures—including Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—found that climate change is making certain cancers more common and more deadly among women. Researchers looked at the prevalence and mortality of breast, ovarian, cervical, and uterine cancers, and compared the data with changing temperatures between 1998 and 2019. They found that the prevalence of the different cancers rose from 107 to 280 cases per 100,000 people for every additional degree Celsius, with ovarian cancer cases rising the most and breast cancer the least. Mortality more than doubled, from 160 to 332 deaths per 100,000 people for each degree of temperature rise, with the greatest rise in ovarian cancer and the smallest in cervical cancer. When the researchers broke the overall data down by country, they found that cancer prevalence and deaths rose in only six countries: Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Syria, speculating this may be because of particularly extreme summer temperatures in those countries. They also observed that the rise was not uniform between countries—the prevalence of breast cancer rose by 560 cases per 100,000 people for each degree Celsius in Qatar, and 330 in Bahrain. The researchers point out that while the rise in rates is small, it is statistically significant enough to suggest a notable increase in cancer risk and mortality over time. As a result of climate change, Americans are witnessing hotter summers, milder winters, shifting rain and snowfall patterns, and more extreme weather events like record-high heat waves and devastating hurricanes, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Moreover, climate change is known to cause and exacerbate health issues globally, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Polluted air, water, and soil from increased fossil fuel usage and high temperatures caused by global warming directly worsen health, while natural disasters exacerbated by climate change can lead to chronic stress, poor mental health, and decreased social support, while depleting health care infrastructure and access. Climate change also leaves people more exposed to environmental toxins and less likely to receive a quick diagnosis and treatment, the WHO points out, especially in developing countries disproportionately impacted by rising temperatures and infrastructural issues—leaving those populations more vulnerable to developing cancer. 'Temperature rise likely acts through multiple pathways,' said coauthor Sungsoo Chun of the American University in Cairo. 'It increases exposure to known carcinogens, disrupts health care delivery, and may even influence biological processes at the cellular level. Together, these mechanisms could elevate cancer risk over time.' As Chun pointed out, multiple factors could compound on one another to drive these rates. For example, increased heat could come in tandem with higher levels of carcinogenic air pollution. And women are left more physiologically vulnerable to climate-related health risks, according to Chun. 'This is compounded by inequalities that limit access to health care,' she explained in the press release. 'Marginalized women face a multiplied risk because they are more exposed to environmental hazards and less able to access early screening and treatment services.' Though some could argue that better cancer screening leads to higher rates of prevalence, the researchers counter by saying improvements in screening should result in fewer deaths, as early-stage cancer is easier to treat. But since both prevalence and death rates rose, the researchers believe climate-change-related risks are the driving factors, and call for considering climate-related risks in public health planning. 'This study cannot establish direct causality,' Mataria said. 'While we controlled for GDP per capita, other unmeasured factors could contribute. Nonetheless, the consistent associations observed across multiple countries and cancer types provide compelling grounds for further investigation.' For more on cancer: The number one diet change to lower your cancer risk, according to experts The truth about CT scans: The common health check could drive 103,000 cancer cases, research warns Can sunscreen give you cancer? What experts want you to know The best diet to lower your risk of prostate cancer, according to experts This story was originally featured on
The Star
4 days ago
- Health
- The Star
Cancer rates rise for women in countries where extreme heat is up: study
NEW YORK, May 27 (Xinhua) -- As temperatures rose in Middle Eastern and North African countries over the last two decades, cancer mortality among women did too, according to a new study of a region that is particularly vulnerable to extreme heat. The preliminary findings, published on Tuesday in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, contribute to a growing body of research on the health effects of temperature and climate change, reported The Washington Post. The scientists looked at breast, ovarian, uterine and cervical cancers among women in 17 countries and discovered what they called a small but significant increase in cases and deaths. The correlation, the authors wrote, comes as climate change increases exposure to cancer risk through heightened ultraviolet radiation and air pollutants. Ozone depletion can mean more exposure to UV radiation, researchers said. Higher temperatures can also lead to drought and wildfires, which can cause pollution. "This can increase exposures to a broad range of agents associated with cancer risk," Irina Stepanov, a public health professor and member of the University of Minnesota's Masonic Cancer Center, was quoted as saying.
