Background: Breast and gynecological cancers, including cervical, ovarian, and uterine cancers, are major contributors to disease burden among women. In Asia, rapid population ageing may further increase this burden among women aged 60 years and older. However, long-term trends, socioeconomic inequalities, and future burden in this population remain insufficiently characterized. Methods: Using data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021, we assessed the burden of breast, cervical, ovarian, and uterine cancers among Asian women aged ≥ 60 years from 1990 to 2021. Incidence, deaths, and disability-adjusted life years were evaluated by cancer type, age, location, and Socio-demographic Index. Temporal trends were assessed using age-standardized rates and estimated annual percentage changes. Inequality analyses were performed to examine disparities across socioeconomic development levels. Future trends were projected to 2051. Machine-learning-based analysis was further used to explore the relative importance of demographic and temporal factors, with SHAP interpretation applied to improve model explainability. Results: The burden of breast and gynecological cancers among older Asian women showed substantial heterogeneity across cancer types, countries, age groups, and socioeconomic settings. Long-term trends indicated persistent and uneven changes in incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years from 1990 to 2021. Socioeconomic inequalities remained evident, with different patterns across cancer types and locations. Projection analyses suggested that the future burden may continue to rise in many Asian settings, largely influenced by population ageing and demographic expansion. Machine-learning interpretation further supported the important roles of age, calendar year, and population size in shaping cancer burden. Conclusion: Breast and gynecological cancers remain an important and evolving public health challenge among older Asian women. Continued surveillance, equitable cancer prevention, early detection, and age-sensitive health-service planning are needed to reduce future burden and address regional inequalities. Plain Language Summary: Asian populations are ageing rapidly, and more women are living to older ages. Because cancer risk increases with age, breast and gynecological cancers are becoming an important health concern among older women. In this study, we used data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 to examine breast, cervical, ovarian, and uterine cancers among women aged 60 years and older in Asia from 1990 to 2021. We assessed new cases, the number of women living with cancer, deaths, and overall health loss. We also examined differences across Asian regions and countries, explored inequalities related to social and economic development, and projected future trends. We found that breast cancer caused the largest burden among these cancers in older Asian women. Cervical cancer remained an important problem, especially in South Asia and Southeast Asia, although its overall rates tended to decline. Ovarian and uterine cancers showed more varied regional patterns, with uterine cancer relatively more prominent in Central Asia. Clear inequalities were observed: breast and uterine cancers were more concentrated in more developed settings, whereas cervical cancer was more concentrated in less developed settings. Future projections suggested that the burdens of breast, ovarian, and uterine cancers may continue to increase, while cervical cancer may decline. These findings indicate that older women in Asia need targeted cancer prevention, screening, treatment, and long-term care. Health policies should consider both population ageing and regional differences across Asia. Infographic on trends, inequalities and projections of breast and gynecological cancers in older Asian women.The infographic titled ’Epidemiological trends, inequalities and projections of breast and gynecological cancers in older Asian women’ is from the International Journal of Women’s Health. It is divided into three sections: Background & Methods, Key Findings: Burden & Inequalities (2021) and Future Projections (to 2051) & Conclusion. Background & Methods: - GBD 2021 Data (1990– 2021) focuses on women aged ≥ 60 years. - Temporal Trends (EAPC, APC), Inequality Assessment (SII, CI) and Future Projections (Bayesian APC to 2051) are considered for breast cancer (BC), cervical cancer (CC), ovarian cancer (OC) and uterine cancer (UC). Key Findings: Burden & Inequalities (2021): - Low SDI regions (e.g., South/Southeast Asia) show concentrated burden and inverse association for cervical cancer (CC). - High SDI regions (e.g., High-income Asia Pacific) show greater incidence and prevalence for breast (BC), ovarian (OC) and uterine (UC) cancers. - Central Asia has a relatively high uterine cancer burden. - Substantial heterogeneity driven by sociodemographic development. Future Projections (to 2051) & Conclusion: - Continued increases expected for breast, ovarian and uterine cancers. - Burden expected to decline for cervical cancer. - Breast cancer remains the dominant burden. - Conclusion emphasizes the need for age-sensitive, region-specific and equity-oriented strategies for prevention, screening and long-term care in aging populations. Keywords: breast cancer, gynecological cancers, older women, Asia, disease burden, health inequality
Wang et al. (Mon,) studied this question.