The women’s oncology market is poised for significant growth, but persistent gaps in funding, innovation and patient access continue to hold back progress, according to a new PwC report.
The PwC report focuses on women-specific cancers, including breast, ovarian, endometrial, cervical, vulvar and vaginal cancers. The report explains that in just the U.S., breast and gynecologic cancers account for more than 400,000 new diagnoses annually. The global market for women-specific cancers is estimated to be at $65 billion to $75 billion, and is projected to reach $100 billion to $110 billion by 2030. This represents a 7% to 9% annual increase and looks at women’s oncology solutions spanning therapeutics, devices and diagnostics and care delivery.
Breast cancer has received significant investment, while many gynecologic cancers have been overlooked by investors and researchers. According to 2025 data, ovarian cancer received about $43,000 in National Institutes of Health research funding per death, versus almost $70,000 for breast cancer.
“The result is a clear opportunity across the range of women’s cancers. Meaningful improvement opportunities exist across the patient journey, from earlier risk identification to faster diagnoses, targeted treatments, and better long-term disease management,” PwC stated. “There are gaps to close at every stage.”
The biggest opportunity in women’s oncology is in pharmaceuticals, representing nearly 70% of market value, due to “high disease burden, strong reimbursement dynamics and scalable therapeutic innovation,” according to the report. Growth is mainly driven by targeted therapies, which are replacing or complementing traditional chemotherapy and allowing for earlier, more personalized treatment.
Provider and care delivery models also represent an area with a lot of opportunity for investment, especially with women cancer patients getting younger. Survivorship is also becoming an area of focus as survival rates improve.
Earlier detection remains one of the biggest unmet needs in women’s oncology, particularly for gynecologic cancers such as ovarian cancer. The report points to innovations including liquid biopsies, AI-enabled diagnostics, mobile screening programs and at-home tests as promising ways to improve early diagnosis and access to care.
The report also explains that investment in women-specific cancers has been “sustained and substantial.” There were nearly 400 private funding events equaling more than $6.5 billion between 2020 and 2025, with devices and diagnostics receiving the largest share of deal volume.
“These investments matter because they help accelerate the science,” PwC said. “Progress in breast cancer followed decades of sustained research and commercial investment. As capital increasingly flows toward gynecologic cancers, there is growing potential to replicate that success in these critical areas where unmet need remains high.”
There are also future implications for a variety of healthcare stakeholders. For example, pharmaceutical companies have an opportunity to use AI to accelerate biomarker discovery and clinical development in gynecologic cancers. Providers should build longitudinal care models to support the patient from treatment through survivorship. In addition, the report calls on payers and employers to expand coverage for evidence-based early cancer detection.
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