Women’s cancers: 5 innovations transforming patient care

What are women’s cancers?

Women cancers encompass several types of cancer. On the one hand, the term refers to cancers affecting the organs of the female reproductive system, including breast, uterine, cervical, ovarian, vaginal, vulvar, fallopian tube, and endometrial cancers. On the other hand, it also includes cancers that occur predominantly in women due to specific hormonal, genetic, or biological factors, such as thyroid cancer and gallbladder cancer.

The first known description of breast cancer dates back to ancient times, appearing in the Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus (circa 1600 BC) and later in the writings of Hippocrates in 460 BC. The first effective treatment did not emerge until 1894 with the introduction of the radical mastectomy (Halsted, 1894). In the 1940s, the first chemotherapy treatments using nitrogen mustard and radiation therapy were developed. During the same period, the cervical smear test, commonly known as the Pap test, was introduced to detect cervical cancer. Beginning in the 1990s, major scientific breakthroughs accelerated progress in the field, including Mary-Claire King’s discovery of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes associated with certain breast and ovarian cancers, the approval of trastuzumab, the first HER2-targeted therapy for breast cancer, in 1998, and later the introduction of the first HPV vaccine (Gardasil®) to prevent cervical cancer in 2006.

Since then, research on women’s cancers has continued to accelerate. Between 2019 and 2024, 14 drugs received approval for gynecologic cancer indications out of a total of 150 approvals for solid tumors, making gynecologic oncology the second highest specialty in terms of new approvals. The same study (published in Gynecologic Oncology, 2025¹Dinkins, K. G., Lee, G. M., Arend, R. C., Leath, C. A., & Toboni, M. D. (2025). Trends in FDA approvals of gynecologic oncology therapeutics from 2019 to 2024. Gynecologic Oncology, 194, 153–158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygyno.2025.03.010) also found that gynecologic oncology experienced the third fastest growth in new approvals among all solid tumor specialties during this period. Beyond the development of new therapies, innovative approaches for the prevention and diagnosis of women’s cancers are also being progressively adopted, helping improve patients’ response to these new treatments.

Five innovative and promising solutions in women’s cancers

Challenge 1: At-home cervical cancer screening

Developed by California-based startup Teal Health, the Teal Wand™ is the first at-home cervical cancer screening test.

The device was created in response to a simple observation: the SELF-CERV²Fitzpatrick, M. B., Behrens, C. M., Hibler, K., Parsons, C., Kaplan, C., Orso, R., Parker, L., Memmel, L., Collins, A., McNicholas, C., Crane, L., Hwang, Y., Sutton, E., Coleman, J., Kuroki, L., Harshberger, K., Williams, S., Jennings, A., Buccini, F., . . . Conageski, C. (2025). Clinical validation of a vaginal cervical cancer Screening Self-Collection method for At-Home use. JAMA Network Open, 8(5), e2511081. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.11081 study found that 33% of women delayed or avoided cervical cancer screening, primarily because of time constraints (32%), discomfort (32%), or financial barriers (32%). Combined with a dedicated telehealth platform, the solution aims to make cervical cancer screening more accessible for all women.

The kit includes the Teal Wand™ along with a comprehensive telemedicine service. Physicians prescribe the kit through video consultations, review laboratory results, and support patients throughout the entire process. Women collect their own vaginal sample without the use of a speculum and send it to a laboratory for HPV analysis. The Teal Wand™ demonstrated a sensitivity of 96%³FDA approves Teal Health’s Teal WandTM—The first and only At-Home Self-Collection device for cervical cancer screening, introducing a comfortable alternative to In-Person screening. (n.d.). https://www.getteal.com/news/fda-approves-teal-healths-teal-wand-tm—the-first-and-only-at-home-self-collection-device-for-cervical-cancer-screening-introducing-a-comfortable-alternative-to-in-person-screening, matching the performance of clinician-collected samples.

Challenge 2: Liquid biopsy for the early diagnosis of ovarian cancer

Initially validated for lung cancer, liquid biopsy is now demonstrating promising results in ovarian cancer.

The DELFI (DNA Evaluation of Fragments for Early Interception) method relies on an innovative liquid biopsy approach known as fragmentomics, which analyzes the physical properties of cell-free DNA fragments circulating in the bloodstream. The technology is based on the observation that DNA within cancer cells is abnormally compacted, producing distinctive fragmentation patterns when tumor cells die and release their DNA into circulation.

For the early detection of ovarian cancer, the DELFI-Pro test combines DNA fragment analysis with two protein biomarkers, CA-125 and HE4. According to a study published in Cancer Discovery in 2025, DELFI-Pro detected 72%, 69%, 87%, and 100% of ovarian cancers at stages I through IV, respectively, compared with only 34%, 62%, 63%, and 100% for CA-125 alone⁴Mone, A., & Mehl, V. (2024, September 30). AI “Liquid biopsies” using Cell-Free DNA, protein biomarkers, could aid early detection of ovarian cancer. Johns Hopkins Medicine. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/newsroom/news-releases/2024/09/ai-liquid-biopsies-using-cell-free-dna-protein-biomarkers-could-aid-early-detection-of-ovarian-cancer.

This test exemplifies an innovation that could fundamentally change the approach to ovarian cancer by enabling women to receive care at a much earlier stage.

Challenge 3: Artificial intelligence to predict the onset of breast cancer

Breast cancer screening has evolved considerably over the past 30 years. Three-dimensional (3D) digital breast tomosynthesis, now widely used alongside conventional two-dimensional (2D) mammography, has improved tumor detection, particularly in women with dense breast tissue. Since 2023, predictive models such as Mirai™ and Clairity Breast™ have not only supported radiologists in interpreting mammograms but have also made it possible to predict a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer within five years of screening.

One example is Clairity Breast™, a software designed to estimate, as a percentage, the likelihood that a patient will develop breast cancer within five years following a mammogram by analyzing imaging features visible on the scan. The model was trained on millions of images generated from more than 77,000 mammograms. Presented at RSNA 2025, Clairity Breast™ is the first artificial intelligence-based breast cancer risk assessment tool to rely exclusively on mammographic images, outperforming breast density alone as a predictive indicator.

These models not only improve tumor detection but also identify women at the highest risk before cancer develops, paving the way for truly personalized, more effective, and better targeted screening.

Read also: How is Women’s Health Benefiting from AI?

Challenge 4: Antibody-drug conjugates for the treatment of ovarian cancer

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are complex molecules composed of three key components: a monoclonal antibody linked to a cytotoxic drug through a chemical linker. This structure enables targeted destruction of cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue, significantly reducing treatment-related toxicity for patients⁵Pfizer France. (n.d.). Antibody–drug conjugates [in French]. Pfizer France. https://www.pfizer.fr/nos-innovations/nos-approches-scientifiques/anticorps-conjugues.

Mirvetuximab soravtansine (MIRV) targets the folate receptor alpha (FRα), which is expressed in more than 75% of ovarian tumor cells. Its efficacy was evaluated in the Phase III MIRASOL trial involving patients whose disease had relapsed after platinum-based chemotherapy. Compared with conventional chemotherapy, MIRV improved overall survival by 26% to 49%⁶Groyer, E. (2025, August 5). ASCO 2023: Ovarian cancers – The antibody–drug conjugate (ADC) revolution [in French]. RoseUp Association. https://www.rose-up.fr/magazine/asco-2023-cancer-ovaire-revolution-adc/. Based on these results, the therapy was granted early access authorization by the European Medicines Agency (European Medicines Agency, EMA) in 2025.

For decades, platinum-based chemotherapy was the only treatment option available for recurrent ovarian cancer. According to oncologists¹⁹, the arrival of ADCs represents a genuine paradigm shift in the management of ovarian cancer.

Read more: Why are antibody-drug conjugates so promising for the future of cancer treatment?

Read also: Why do antibody drug conjugates hold such promise for the future of cancer treatment?

Challenge 5: Personalized therapeutic mRNA vaccines for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer and beyond

The 2024-2025 period has been marked by unprecedented clinical advances in the development of therapeutic mRNA cancer vaccines. For example, studies evaluating Moderna’s mRNA-4157 (V940) vaccine in combination with pembrolizumab for patients with high-risk stage II to IV melanoma have demonstrated sustained clinical benefit, with three-year recurrence-free survival rates exceeding those achieved with pembrolizumab monotherapy⁷Magoola, M., & Niazi, S. K. (2025). Current progress and future perspectives of RNA-Based cancer vaccines: a 2025 update. Cancers, 17(11), 1882. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17111882.

A similar study was recently conducted in Germany for triple-negative breast cancer, with preliminary results published in Nature in February 2026.²¹ The approach is straightforward: following sequencing of each patient’s tumor, a personalized mRNA vaccine is manufactured within a few weeks, encoding up to 34 tumor-specific neoantigens. In this preliminary study, BioNTech evaluated the immune response of 14 women receiving an RNA-based therapeutic vaccine targeting mutated or abnormal protein fragments specific to each patient’s tumor. Among them, 11 remained recurrence-free for up to six years after vaccination⁸Sahin, U., Schmidt, M., Derhovanessian, E., Cortini, A., Vogler, I., Omokoko, T., Godehardt, E., Attig, S., Newrzela, S., Grützner, J., Bidmon, N., Bolte, S., Brachtendorf, S., Stuhlmann, T., Langer, D., Brüne, D., Blake, J., Feldner, A., Lindman, H., . . . Türeci, Ö. (2026). Individualized mRNA vaccines evoke durable T cell immunity in adjuvant TNBC. Nature, 651(8107), 1088–1096. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-10004-2. These findings demonstrate a promising immune response, although the vaccine is still in the experimental stage.

Therapeutic mRNA vaccines could therefore represent a major breakthrough in cancer treatment by transforming cancer into the target of a truly personalized vaccine.

Although many innovations have emerged in recent years, women’s oncology remains underfunded relative to the number of patients affected. For example, a 2024 study by the American Cancer Society found that gynecologic oncology research still accounts for only 5% of total oncology research funding⁹Dinkins, K. G., Lee, G. M., Arend, R. C., Leath, C. A., & Toboni, M. D. (2025). Trends in FDA approvals of gynecologic oncology therapeutics from 2019 to 2024. Gynecologic Oncology, 194, 153–158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygyno.2025.03.010.

These figures contrast with the remarkable pace of scientific progress. Advances in artificial intelligence, next-generation imaging, and predictive medicine, exemplified by tools such as Clairity Breast™, demonstrate that a paradigm shift is already underway.

The question is therefore no longer whether progress is possible, but whether these innovations will be deployed at the scale required. In this field, every additional investment represents far more than scientific progress: it translates directly into lives saved, earlier diagnoses, and reduced healthcare disparities. In other words, while the gap remains significant, the opportunity to close it has never been greater.

Alcimed can support you in driving innovation or exploring opportunities in the women’s health market. Don’t hesitate to contact our team.

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About the author,

May-lise, Senior Consultant in Alcimed’s Healthcare team in France