Cervical cancer example
Cervical cancer example
Preventive care
Preventive care
Screening and diagnosis
Screening and diagnosis
Treatment
Follow-up
Follow-up
A few years later, Eliza was diagnosed with cervical cancer.
Treatment
“I have a worse diagnosis but less treatment. That was really hard for me
to wrap my head around. By way of explanation, people would say things
like, ‘Oh, we don’t want to put you through that treatment.’ But it infuriated me because I thought, ‘No! Put me through that.’ I have a right to the same quality of care as everyone else!”
People with disabilities are
40%
more likely to have no treatment
14%
less likely to undergo chemotherapy
130%
more likely to be diagnosed with an unknown stage
of cancer (because cancer scales do not appropriately consider disability)
Source: Jin Young Choi et al., “Disparities in the diagnosis, treatment, and survival rate of cervical cancer among women with and without disabilities,”
Cancer Control, 2021, Volume 28
McKinsey & Company
Cervical cancer example
Cervical cancer example
Preventive care
Preventive care
Screening and diagnosis
Treatment
Treatment
Follow-up
Follow-up
Eliza had trouble accessing screening.
Screening and diagnosis
“There is the presumption that, unlike other women, I don’t need this screening. Many people think disabled women are asexual, which is simply not true.”
Women with disabilities are
35%
less likely to be screened for cervical cancer.
“As a wheelchair user, I find it incredibly difficult to get onto the examination couches, all of which are old and have a fixed height.”
Physical barriers to getting cytology (Pap smear) include a lack of adjustable examination tables and unavailability of screenings at home.
Source: Hannah Kuper et al., “Principles for service delivery: Best practices for cervical screening for women with disabilities,” International Journal of
Women’s Health, 2024, Volume 16; ‘We’re made to feel invisible’: Barriers to accessing cervical screening for women with physical disabilities, Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, 2019
McKinsey & Company
Cervical cancer example
Cervical cancer example
Preventive care
Preventive care
Screening and diagnosis
Screening and diagnosis
Treatment
Treatment
Follow-up
Follow-up
Eliza was not initially offered the HPV vaccine.
Preventive care
People with disabilities are
30–50%
less likely to receive the HPV vaccination.
“My parents did not think that the HPV vaccine was necessary for me, as
they assumed that I would not become sexually active.”
The HPV vaccine can prevent
90%
of cervical cancer cases. As recommended by the World Health Organization, the primary target group is girls aged 9–14.
Note: HPV is the human papillomavirus.
Source: Jenny O’Neill et al., “Vaccination in people with disability: A review,” Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, 2020, Volume 16, Number 1; Melissa Rowe et al., “HPV vaccination among females with mental and physical limitation,” Marshall Journal of Medicine, 2017, Volume 3, Number 2; “The HPV vaccine,” Cancer Research UK, reviewed on January 25, 2024; “WHO updates recommendations on HPV vaccination schedule,” World Health Organization, December 20, 2022
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