Prof Nirmala Bhoo-Pathy reflects on the multiple roles women play in cancer care, as patients, caregivers, health professionals, and policymakers, and how these perspectives shape more holistic approaches to cancer treatment. She discusses how including women’s voices shifts the focus beyond treatment-centred models towards supportive, psychosocial, and human-centred care.

Prof Bhoo-Pathy also highlights how caregiving responsibilities and social roles influence access to screening, treatment uptake, and follow-up. Drawing on her work as a section lead for the Lancet Oncology Commission on the Human Crisis in Cancer, she discusses the economic dimensions of supportive care and argues for redefining universal health coverage to include psychosocial, palliative, and social support needs.

The interview underscores the importance of integrating women’s perspectives into cancer policy, research, and care delivery.