Females with autoimmune diseases ‘less likely to be believed’ than males and face longer diagnostic delays

University of Cambridge

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Females with autoimmune diseases are significantly more likely than males to have their autoimmune disease misdiagnosed as a psychiatric or psychosomatic condition, according to a study of more than 6,600 patients.

In an international study published today in The Lancet’s eClinicalMedicine, researchers analysed the reported diagnostic experiences of 6,607 people with autoimmune diseases. The research, led by the University of Cambridge and University of East Anglia (UEA), also found that females were more likely to face delays in getting a correct diagnosis, and hence the right treatment.

The study found that 43% of females reported that their autoimmune symptoms had previously been misattributed to a psychiatric cause, compared with 33% of males. They were also more likely to report having their symptoms misdiagnosed as being ‘psychosomatic’ – in other words, that physical symptoms were caused or worsened by psychological factors – with this reported by 34% of females compared with 22% of males.

Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s own tissues. They include conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and multiple sclerosis. Many autoimmune diseases are more common in females.

Diagnosis can be challenging because many autoimmune diseases initially cause symptoms such as fatigue, pain, sleep disturbance or low mood, which are common in the general population. Symptoms can also affect multiple parts of the body and change over time.

After taking account of factors including age, disease group, continent and household finances, the researchers found that females were almost 50% more likely to report having received a psychiatric misdiagnosis and nearly 75% more likely to report a psychosomatic misdiagnosis than males.

Interestingly, reports of being misdiagnosed with a different physical disease was slightly higher among males than females (48% vs 44%). 

The research was co-designed with patients, charities and clinicians and uncovers important parts of the diagnostic journey that are often not recorded in medical records.

Shaista Tayabali, co-author and patient partner, said: “The differences between the sexes in misdiagnoses for people with autoimmune diseases is stark. The fact that females reported higher rates of psychiatric and psychosomatic misdiagnoses than males, yet reported lower misdiagnoses for other physical diseases, suggests that historical gender biases remain a challenging aspect of the diagnostic journey.

“Although labels such as hysteria are outdated, and fortunately rarely used nowadays, as women we still often have a harder time having our symptoms believed and therefore addressed accurately.”

The researchers also found that females reported longer periods between the onset of symptoms and receiving their diagnosis, as well as more healthcare consultations. Among males, the most frequently reported time to diagnosis was less than three months, whereas among females it was one to two years.

Dr Melanie Sloan from the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at the University of Cambridge, and Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia said: “Patients with autoimmune diseases can present with symptoms that can initially be difficult to explain medically, and sometimes it can take months or years before a diagnosis becomes clear.

“Our findings highlight that psychological or mental health explanations can be given too soon. This is true for both sexes, but our study suggests that females may be particularly vulnerable to these types of misdiagnoses.”

The high rates of reported psychiatric, psychosomatic and alternative physical misdiagnoses among both sexes reflects the difficulty of diagnosing autoimmune diseases, especially those which have few visible signs or results that show in blood tests.

The team is calling for doctors to consider autoimmune diseases before any psychiatric or psychosomatic diagnoses are given.

Professor David D’Cruz, Consultant Rheumatologist at Guy’s Hospital, said: “This is not about saying that a psychiatric diagnosis is never correct. People can have both autoimmune and psychiatric conditions, and it is increasingly understood that psychiatric symptoms can be part of an autoimmune disease, especially in diseases like lupus which can directly affect the brain. They can also be a very natural response to living with life-changing illnesses.

“The important message is that when symptoms persist, evolve or involve multiple systems, clinicians must be open minded and consider whether there is an underlying autoimmune disease that has not yet been recognised – and to listen to patients”.

Listening to patients

Unlike studies based solely on medical records, this research focused on patients’ own accounts of their diagnostic journeys. Participants were asked about the time from symptom onset to diagnosis, the number of healthcare consultations they had, and the types of diagnoses they reported receiving before their autoimmune diagnosis.

The researchers say patient perspectives are particularly important in diseases where symptoms may not be easily visible or where there is no definite diagnostic test.

Wendy Diment, patient partner in the study, said: “Most studies use medical records, but these are very one-sided as patient’s views are very rarely recorded and we often have different views on what is causing our symptoms to our doctors. They also don’t always record when we first became unwell and the difficulties in getting our diagnosis, and they’re very unlikely to be corrected when a psychosomatic ‘in your head’ type diagnosis is then found to be wrong.”

Improving diagnosis

The researchers say clinicians may benefit from acknowledging diagnostic uncertainty, providing clear advice about when patients should seek further assessment, and revisiting previous diagnostic decisions when new symptoms or information emerge.

They also highlight the importance of continuity of care and listening carefully to patients, particularly when there is not yet a clear explanation for their symptoms.

Dr Sloan said: “Ultimately, we need to understand why these differences occur before we can design effective solutions. Our next step is exploring the experiences and voices behind these numbers and working with patients and clinicians to identify ways of reducing diagnostic delays and improving care. Listening to and valuing people’s accounts and views should always be part of research and the diagnostic process.”

The study was funded by The Lupus Trust, Vasculitis UK, Sjögren’s UK, Lupus UK and SRUK.

Reference

Sloan, M, et al. Sex and disease differences in patients’ diagnostic experiences in autoimmune diseases: an international cross-sectional study. eClinMed; 13 Oct 2026; DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2026.104259

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Journal

EClinicalMedicine

DOI

10.1016/j.eclinm.2026.104259

Method of Research

Survey

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Sex and disease differences in patients’ diagnostic experiences in autoimmune diseases: an international cross-sectional study

Article Publication Date

13-Oct-2026

 

Are young women receiving delayed care for breast cancer?

Study reveals that especially young patients and those with lower income are most likely to experience delays

Wiley

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In an analysis of data on adolescents and young adults with breast cancer, lower income and younger age were linked with delays in care. The analysis published by Wiley online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, also found that women who experienced delays in cancer diagnoses tended to have later stages of disease.

Breast cancer diagnosed before the age of 40 years—which is before the recommended age of screening—often carries a poor prognosis, along with unique treatment and psychosocial challenges. Because younger women tend to not undergo screening and may face delays in response to breast cancer–related symptoms due to potential biases that they are not old enough to have cancer, investigators conducted a study to understand the impact of patient and tumor characteristics on delays in care and tie impact of delays on cancer outcomes.

In the analysis of data on 1,071 individuals enrolled in the Young Women’s Breast Cancer Study, a multi-site prospective cohort of young women diagnosed with breast cancer by 40 years of age, the team identified 153 presentation delays, 120 diagnostic delays, and 228 treatment delays. Presentation delays were defined as ≥90 days from time of first patient-reported symptom(s) to presentation to a clinician, diagnostic delays were ≥90 days from first health care visit for symptom(s) to date of biopsy with a diagnosis with breast cancer, and treatment delays were considered ≥60 days between the time of diagnosis to time of first treatment.

After adjusting for influencing factors, lower annual income was associated with higher odds of presentation delay, while pregnancy at diagnosis, family history of breast cancer, and triple-negative breast cancer were associated with lower odds of presentation delay. Presentation delays were also associated with later stage disease in women with certain HER2-positive tumors. Odds of diagnostic delay were higher for younger patients and lower for those with triple-negative tumors. Those who experienced a delay in breast cancer diagnosis were more likely to have late-stage disease. Patients with more aggressive tumor types were less likely to have treatment delays.

Fortunately, delays were not associated with cancer-free or overall survival, but the authors noted that later stage at diagnosis may require more extensive surgery, radiation, or systemic therapy that can impact quality of life and other outcomes.

“Our study reveals continued issues in care delay among patients with young-onset breast cancer and emphasizes a need to improve both patient and provider understanding of young-onset breast cancer risk factors and symptoms to decrease disease burden among these patients,” said senior author Kristen D. Brantley, PhD, MPH, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

 

Additional information
NOTE: The information contained in this release is protected by copyright. Please include journal attribution in all coverage. A free abstract of this article will be available via the CANCER Newsroom upon online publication. For more information or to obtain a PDF of any study, please contact: Sara Henning-Stout, newsroom@wiley.com

Full Citation:
“Delays in breast cancer presentation, diagnosis, and treatment in young women.” Bessie X. Zhang, Tal Sella, Yue Zheng, Gregory J. Kirkner, Kathryn J. Ruddy, Shoshana M. Rosenberg, Virginia F. Borges, Lidia Schapira, Steven E. Come, Jeffrey M. Peppercorn, Laura Collins, Ann H. Partridge, and Kristen D. Brantley. CANCER; Published Online: October 12, 2026 (DOI: 10.1002/cncr.70594). 
URL Upon Publication: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/cncr.70594

Author Contact: John W. Noble, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Media Relations Manager in the Department of Communications, at johnw_noble@dfci.harvard.edu or +1 703-407-9416

About the Journal      
CANCER is a peer-reviewed publication of the American Cancer Society integrating scientific information from worldwide sources for all oncologic specialties. The objective of CANCER is to provide an interdisciplinary forum for the exchange of information among oncologic disciplines concerned with the etiology, course, and treatment of human cancer. CANCER is published on behalf of the American Cancer Society by Wiley and can be accessed online. Follow CANCER on X @JournalCancer, and stay up to date with the American Cancer Society Journals on Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

About Wiley       
Wiley is a global leader in authoritative content and research intelligence for the advancement of scientific discovery, innovation, and learning. With more than 200 years at the center of the scholarly ecosystem, Wiley combines trusted publishing heritage with AI-powered platforms to transform how knowledge is discovered, accessed, and applied. From individual researchers and students to Fortune 500 R&D teams, Wiley enables the transformation of scientific breakthroughs into real-world impact. From knowledge to impact—Wiley is redefining what's possible in science and learning. Visit us at Wiley.com and Investors.Wiley.com. Follow us on Facebook, X, LinkedIn and Instagram. 

---

Journal

Cancer

DOI

10.1002/cncr.70594

Article Title

Delays in breast cancer presentation, diagnosis and treatment in young women

Article Publication Date

12-Oct-2026

‘So safe you could drink it’: Scientists and pesticide victims fear an EU rollback


For decades, French farmers sprayed pesticides they were told were harmless. Many have since fallen ill, grappling with cancers and other diseases caused by exposure. As the EU prepares to vote on a package that would end regular safety reviews of most pesticides, victims, doctors and scientists warn it could keep harmful products on the market for longer.


Issued on: 10/10/2026 
FRANCE24

By: Lara Bullens

This file photo shows a tractor spraying pesticides on a soybean field in the US on July 11, 2013. © Charlie Neibergall, AP


For most of his life, José Nadan worked as a professional beekeeper in Morbihan, a coastal area in Brittany known for its medieval towns and fresh seafood. At the start of his career, he recalls a golden age of beekeeping, when each year, and “without much effort”, the number of hives would naturally increase.

But things took a turn for the worse in the 1980s, when the varroa mite made its way to France. A parasite, the mite weakens bees by suppressing their immune system and spreading deadly viruses that can collapse entire colonies. “We improvised trying to kill them with whatever we had until official products made their way onto the market,” Nadan recalls.

Nadan also spent many years keeping an orchard of cider apple trees he treated with a pesticide that, he was told, was organic and had no effect on humans. “The sales reps even said it was so safe you could drink it,” the 69-year-old says. “I never took the slightest precaution, spraying from my tractor as I drove along the rows of trees,” Nadan recalls. “Sometimes, because of the wind, I’d get some on my face. But I wasn’t worried.”

“I later found out it was a product like Roundup [a Monsanto weed killer] and contained glyphosate,” he says, a substance now known to be harmful to human health.

It was only after he retired that Nadan realised the consequences of being exposed to pesticides for all those years. Six years ago, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

His illness has officially been recognised as an occupational hazard caused by pesticides by France’s agricultural social security system.

In everything, everywhere, all at once

Pesticides are known to cause a range of health issues, including various types of cancer, respiratory diseases, neurodegenerative illnesses like Parkinson’s or Alzheimer's, cardiovascular diseases and infertility. They also impact children more than adults, leading to developmental delays and cognitive impairments.

And they are everywhere. A 2023 study in which hundreds of samples were gathered from different environments across 10 European countries found that pesticides were present in 100% of air, indoor dust and water samples.

Edmond Leduc, a retired doctor living close to the Belgian border in northern France, has lived next to crop fields treated with pesticides for 44 years. “The farmers working the fields practise intensive farming, so there is always a harvest,” he says. “When it’s potato season, they sometimes spray fungicides every two weeks.”

A lover of gardening, Leduc spent a lot of time outside and admits “not being very careful” in the early years. “I didn’t know the products I was inhaling were toxic.”

Leduc discovered he had lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, in 2018, and was diagnosed with prostate cancer in August of this year – two conditions linked to pesticides.

As one of Europe’s biggest agricultural producers, France is also one of its largest consumers of pesticides. And the number of requests by agricultural workers like Nadan, who are in close contact with the toxic substances, has shot up from 318 in 2024 to 975 in 2025.

Yet as the toll of pesticide exposure is becoming clearer, the EU is preparing to vote on a set of legal amendments that could make it harder to ban these harmful products.

The EU’s ‘safety lock’ at risk

Despite having a multi-layered system to assess the risk of pesticides, Europe still sees cases where they cause harm to both the environment and humans. Unlike the US, which uses a risk-based model that factors actual levels of exposure, the EU uses a hazard-based model, meaning it focuses on the inherent toxicological properties of a certain chemical before it’s approved.

But regulatory assessments are often delayed and take time, slowing down the process for pesticides to enter the market. To speed things up and cut red tape, the European Commission proposed a legislative package that would overhaul the current system. Known as Omnibus X, it would amend ten existing EU laws that cover pesticides, biocides, food residues, animal feed and official controls.

A key amendment aims to scrap the periodic re-evaluation of pesticides, which often end up causing greater damage than expected after being initially approved.

The EU ensures the move would have “no compromise on food safety or environmental protection”, but critics of the package disagree.

“New scientific findings need to be taken into account regularly, because there is always a level of uncertainty [about the risk of a pesticide] before it hits the market,” says ecotoxicologist Martina Vijver, who was up in arms when news of the package dropped. “A periodic review is a safety lock, it’s crucial, because we can’t foresee every consequence.”

An insecticide known as chlorpyrifos, for example, was approved for use in the EU back in 2006. Sprayed on crops to control pests or on grains stored in warehouses, the chemical came to be one of the most commonly used pesticides in Europe. Residues of the substance were found in fruit, vegetables, dairy products and drinking water.

When its approval came up for renewal, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) reviewed the evidence and decided in 2019 that no safe exposure level could be set, and that chlorpyrifos didn’t meet the EU’s health requirements. Even in small doses, chlorpyrifos affects the human body’s neurological, reproductive, metabolic and immune systems. The substance was linked to neurodevelopmental disorders in children, including autism.

Even though the entire regulatory process spanned over seven years, once the ruling passed in January 2020, Member States had three months to dispose of all products containing chlorpyrifos.

“All pesticides are aimed at killing something,” Vijver explains. “If a substance is neurotoxic for insects, for example, that same neurotoxicity could apply to humans [...] Which is not so strange, because that’s the intention [of the pesticide].”

Denis Benoit, a former farmer in charge of pruning trees in the winter and applying pesticides from spring through summer, recalls going home with intense symptoms after a day’s work. “I had a fever at night and red patches on my arms,” he says. “It was because of the insecticides we were using, like D6.”

Like Nadan and Leduc, the 65-year-old from western France was also diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2019. “I do feel regret for having worked with those substances, but it was hard to find work at the time, and we were told they were only toxic in large doses,” he says.

‘Who sounds the alarm?’

For scientists like Vijver, the regular reassessment of pesticides is one of the few safeguards against such long-hidden harms, and it is precisely what the EU’s upcoming omnibus would remove.

Under the current EU system, a pesticide’s approval expires on a set date, and the company producing it has to show again that its product is safe to keep selling. If the approval no longer expires automatically, the product would stay on the market by default, removing the “safety lock” that Vijver refers to. The burden would then fall on the shoulders of regulators such as the EFSA or individual member states to sound the alarm.

“But who triggers the process? Doctors? Scientists? Or the guy who walks his dog and sees all the birds have died? That’s not our job,” says Vijver.

If passed, the legislation package would also increase the maximum grace period for farmers to substitute banned pesticides from 18 months to three years. Conditions for the exceptional use of banned pesticides, including endocrine disruptors, would also be loosened.

Sending a clear message of concern, Vijver took the initiative to write an open letter on September 17 and urged the European Parliament to pause the vote on the legislative package until an independent investigation into its potential health and environmental impacts is carried out. She gathered 573 other signatories from a wide range of disciplines, including environmental protection, medicine and public health – all of whom “have expertise” in the field, Vijver says.

“I’ve never done something like this before,” she admits. “As scientists, we are really worried. I would never have done this if I wasn’t really worried.”

The vote on Omnibus X is expected to take place at the end of October.

Victims take to the streets

Cancer victims and farmers marched arm in arm last weekend, flanked by doctors and activists, to protest pesticides. Organised by a handful of non-profits, the march saw 8,000 demonstrators gather outside a factory in northern France owned by Syngenta, the world’s largest pesticide seller.

Amid the crowd was Fleur Breteau, founder of the Cancer Colère collective, who made waves last year when she sparked a nationwide movement to block the reintroduction of the pesticide acetamiprid.

Though the reintroduction of acetamiprid was eventually banned last summer, France passed an agricultural law in August this year that would partially reverse the decision.

Holding a placard that read: “Morgan, dead age 36, breast cancer,” Breteau told French daily Le Monde on October 3 that Morgan was her partner on agricultural issues and had passed away in June. “We’re losing peers every week,” she said.

Founder of the Cancer Colère collective Fleur Breteau at the protest against pesticides near the Syngenta industrial site on October 3, 2026. © Guillaume Saligot, AFP

“When I see the state of some of my fellow retirees, how sick and tired they are, I tell myself that all things considered, I am not doing too bad,” says former beekeeper Nadan, who now helps other agricultural workers as a member of a collective to support pesticide victims.

“I went to the funeral of a crop technician I was helping last week. He would go from farm to farm and survey treated fields, and fell ill shortly after retiring,” Nadan says. “He had a form of Parkinson’s that meant he could barely speak and was in a wheelchair. The disease progressed so rapidly that he didn’t have time to finalise his request to have the illness officially recognised as being caused by pesticides.”

For campaigners, cases like this are a stark reminder of what is at stake as Brussels prepares to rewrite its pesticide rules.

French environmental organisation Générations Futures has organised a weekend of protests and canvassing across the country, aimed at informing people about the EU legislative package that could loosen restrictions on pesticides.

“It’s never easy to bring EU issues into the public sphere because they aren’t very enticing. Our aim this weekend is to inform people about the Omnibus, spark debate, get people talking, which is definitely something its supporters want to avoid,” says Andy Battentier, campaign manager for Générations Futures.

“A third of the European Parliament is made up of right-wing and far-right MEPs, who favour scrapping standards [red tape],” says Battentier on the chances the legislative package will pass.

A first-ever “presidential debate” on pesticides organised by the NGO will also take place in Cambrai, northern France, this Saturday, with leftist representatives of presidential candidates for the 2027 election saying they will attend. Three hundred doctors in France have been awaiting a response from former prime minister Gabriel Attal, centre-right Edouard Philippe and Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau to debate “this major public health issue” – but their seats are likely to remain empty.

“23 million people in France suffer from either a chronic illness or cancer,” the doctors wrote in the letter sent on September 28. “Numerous studies have shown a strong link between these conditions and pesticides. As doctors, we work tirelessly to protect the health of our fellow citizens. What is the point of our efforts if we don’t tackle the root cause of the diseases?”

Back in Morbihan, Nadan still thinks about the bees he fought to save from the varroa mite, which weakens its host so slowly that by the time the damage shows, the colony is often beyond saving. Decades later, he and his fellow farmers fear the same may be true of the products they were told would protect them.

“Many farmers feel a sense of shame, especially because they have children who work in conventional farming,” he says, fearing the Omnibus would only “fuel the surge in cancers and other degenerative diseases” for generations to come.

Rachel Carson

https://www.rachelcarson.org › silent-spring

Silent Spring - Rachel Carson

Silent Spring is a book by Rachel Carson that exposes the dangers of chemical pesticides and calls for environmental responsibility. …

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   https://libcom.org › article › our-synthetic-environment-murray-bookchin

   Our Synthetic Environment - Murray Bookchin - libcom.org

   Dec 11, 2014

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Farmers unite worldwide against what they call ‘chemical colonisation’

Farmers and activists around the world are mobilising on Saturday for an international day of action against pesticides – denouncing products sold by major agrochemical companies that they say are damaging their health and destroying their livelihoods.


Issued on: 02/10/2026 - RFI

"No more cancer. Stop fumigating us," reads the banner of Exaltacion Salud protesters in Argentina demonstrating against the use of pesticdes. © Cortesía Virginia Roldán

By:  Zeenat Hansrod

“Pesticides are manufactured in France and exported to the Global South by companies who know full well that these pesticides contain molecules banned here," said Fleur Breteau, founder of Cancer Colère, one of four French organisations behind Saturday’s campaign.

"They are making money in breach of French regulations and in defiance of human rights laws.”

Farmers and organisations from countries including Pakistan and Argentina have joined the mobilisation, sharing what Breteau describes as the same anger over “chemical colonisation”.

“We, farmers, need to unite because of chemical colonialism by these very powerful agrochemical firms. As a Western person, as a French person, it is a big no because they are making money while breaching French laws,” said Breteau, who is battling breast cancer for a second time.

Illegal spraying of pesticides in Parada La Lata (Exaltación de la Cruz) in 2020, less than 1 km from a house and a rural school. © RFI/Agustín Brun

Health concerns in Argentina

In Argentina, Agustín Brun, an activist with Exaltacion Salud, a group fighting the use of chemical pesticides, also supports the campaign. He lives in Exaltacion de la Cruz in Buenos Aires province, a town closely surrounded by fields heavily sprayed with pesticides.

“The European Union and China, big buyers of our grains, export pesticides – some of which are banned in their own countries – while importing commodities at a cheaper price without having to face the socio-environmental costs and health issues of pesticide contamination at home,” Brun told RFI.

“In other words, those countries are outsourcing their problems.”

Developed countries “extract” products from Argentina that mostly benefit large pharmaceutical and agrochemical companies such as Bayer-Monsanto and Syngenta, Brun said.

“In my town we have found several agrochemicals molecules, including atrazine, in the soil, water and human blood samples. There is a high rate of cancer and other chronic diseases, higher in Exaltación de la Cruz than in nearby cities,” he said.

A landmark study by researchers at the National University of Rosario Faculty of Medical Sciences found that young people living in agricultural villages exposed to pesticide fumigation were 2.5 times more likely to develop and die from cancer than those living in areas unexposed to agrochemicals.

“We can feel it in our own bodies, you know?” Brun said. “Several members of our groups died of cancer.”

We need to unite to fight against chemical colonialism. As a Western person, we say that we refuse that firms produce forbidden pesticides in our country and send them to the global south. It's a big no. It's against the French laws.

01:00

Fleur Breteau from Cancer Colère association in FranceZeenat Hansrod

Scientific evidence has linked atrazine exposure to cancer. Scientists have described atrazine as an endocrine disruptor and said it can have neurotoxic, teratogenic and genotoxic effects, as well as harming the liver and kidneys.

Atrazine was first developed by agrochemical company Syngenta, Brun said. Syngenta is one of four global giants in the seed and pesticide sector, alongside BASF, Bayer and Corteva, and is also one of Argentina’s biggest pesticide suppliers.

Atrazine has been banned in 60 countries, including across the European Union.

In 2019, a small aircraft illegally sprayed pesticides over a school near Brun’s town.

“The children and school staff were poisoned and suffered health damage,” Brun said. “A ban against aerial spraying of pesticides was then introduced throughout our municipality, not the province, but we’ve been campaigning for such a ban since 2012.”
Global mobilisation

Exaltacion Salud is among the organisations taking part in Saturday’s global protest. Actions are also planned in countries including Costa Rica, Pakistan, the United States, Belgium and Indonesia, as well as Hawaii.

“We’ve realised that anger is healthy,” Breteau told RFI. “And it’s led us to come together and unite our forces. There are millions of us and we’re right to be angry. When we bring all this helplessness and distress together, we can become very powerful. And this is what we will demonstrate on Saturday 3 October.”

France’s emergency agriculture bill passed, amid divisions over pesticides

In France, protesters will march outside one of Syngenta’s pesticide manufacturing plants in Saint-Pierre-la-Garenne, about 100 kilometres north-west of Paris, with several actions also planned in a neighbouring field.

Farmers, cancer patients, people affected by pesticide contamination, health workers, cancer researchers and lawyers are expected to join the demonstration.

“Four giants of pesticide and seed manufacturing industry, BASF, Bayer, Corteva and Syngenta, have formed a sort of oligopoly where they wield immense power worldwide,” Breteau said. “They are patenting living organisms and are making farmers dependent on their pesticides, seeds and technology to grow food.”

Syngenta was acquired in 2017 by Chinese state-owned ChemChina, itself a subsidiary of Sinochem Holdings.

“A seed from Syngenta won’t grow if you simply put it in the ground on its own, it needs pesticides to thrive,” Breteau said. “It’s as if you were putting pesticides in a child’s feeding bottle and saying, ‘It will make them grow faster’. It’s madness.”
Syngenta's response

Syngenta told RFI that farmers must be able to rely on a range of solutions and technologies to address the interconnected challenges of agricultural production, climate change and food security.

It said it strives to develop innovative solutions for all farmers and farming models.

“We fully respect the right to assemble and protest,” a Syngenta spokesperson said. “However, organising a protest at the Saint-Pierre-la-Garenne site seems ill-founded given the reality of its current operations: 70 percent of the site’s current output is suitable for use in organic farming.”

In Kenya, Susan Owiti of the Kenyan Peasants League told RFI that most pesticides used in the country are banned in the United Kingdom. She also described their sale in poorer countries as a form of chemical colonisation.

“Whoever feeds you, controls you,” she said. “Food sovereignty is about taking control and ownership. Control over what you are growing. So, by dumping their banned products onto us, the Global South, they want to take control of our food systems.”

The Kenyan Peasants League, a social organisation representing around 5,000 peasant farmers transitioning to agroecology, is taking part in the 3 October mobilisation on social media. It plans a “Twitter storm” and Facebook posts to raise awareness about pesticides and showcase the experiences of its farmers.

Owiti, a small farmer and activist from Migori in western Kenya, said she has farmed all her life.

“Agroecology farming has been a family tradition for as long as I can remember,” she said. “It means that we work closely with nature. I use my own seeds, make my own manure and develop my own pesticides based on knowledge passed on from my grand-mother and our elders.”

“We do not rely on agrochemical companies.”

In Kenya where the majority of farmers are women, they regularly help each other when there is a lot of work. Here in Apuoyo village, female farmers are weeding a maize and beans field, September 2025. © RFI/Kenyan Peasants League

Pesticides sold by major agrochemical companies, some of which may contain banned molecules, are degrading soil, affecting the health of farmers and their families and trapping them in debt, Owiti said.

“Because they need the pesticides for the seeds purchased from these companies, the farmers find themselves borrowing money from banks to pay loans to pesticide companies,” she said.

Owiti said she had seen many women – who make up most farmers in Kenya – suffering from skin and pulmonary diseases because they do not use protective equipment when handling pesticides.

“The government needs to implement the Agroecological strategic plan launched by the ministry of Agriculture in 2024,” she said.

The National Agroecology Strategy for Food System Transformation covers the period from 2024 to 2033.

Sharing the ancestral knowledge of older farmers is another way to “fight the big companies”, Owiti said.

“The older farmers, they are like libraries holding years and years of research,” she said.

She said passing this knowledge between generations and on to younger farmers would help preserve it and allow them to move away from agribusiness practices.

Why France's agriculture law may not help the farmers it claims to defend
Political battle

Breteau also accuses lawmakers of being influenced by major agrochemical companies.

“Today the red line has been crossed and ethics trampled over,” she said. “Lawmakers, mostly from the centre to the far-right, are casting doubts over the scientific evidence between some pesticides and the diseases they cause.

“Laws are being passed that reintroduce pesticides which were previously banned due to their toxicity to human health.”

Breteau became known in July 2025 when she shouted from the public gallery of the French parliament: “You are in league with cancer and we will make sure everyone knows it.”

French MPs were debating the Duplomb Bill, which included lifting restrictions on the use of pesticides, including acetamiprid.

“There’s a political ploy to force even more pesticides upon us, not to make the life easier for farmers or food sovereignty, it is simply matter of profit,” Breteau said.

“Pesticides are designed to boost production and increase yields at the expense of our health, biodiversity, clean water whilst using as few workers as possible.”

The European Parliament will examine the Food and Feed Safety Simplification Omnibus in October. It aims to streamline food and feed legislation, while its proposal for “efficient renewal procedures for pesticides” has come under criticism.

“It will authorise more than 90 percent of the pesticides currently in circulation, even if scientific studies show they are toxic,” Breteau said.

“In other words, once voted we won’t be able to take them off the market, despite their proven toxicity. So, this is very serious because it creates an unrestricted European market for these pesticide manufacturers.

“Any Member of the European Parliament who vote for this Omnibus law, we’ll regard them as criminals.

“How are we all supposed to get better in a world that poisons us a little more every day?”

 

Clinical trial tests psilocybin-assisted therapy for depression in advanced lung cancer patients

It’s the first trial specific to lung cancer using hallucinogenic mushroom-assisted therapy

Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

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At The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, Alan Davis, PhD (left) and Theodore Wagener, PhD (right) developed the first-ever clinical trial treating lung cancer patients with psilocybin-based therapy.

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Credit: The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center

Nearly 40% of people with lung cancer experience depression, and many also face anxiety, hopelessness and questions about mortality after diagnosis. Researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) and the Center for Psychedelic Drug Research and Education (CPDRE) in the College of Social Work (CSW) are leading a clinical trial to test whether psilocybin-assisted therapy can help reduce depression and emotional distress among patients with lung cancer.

An unmet mental health need

This new research addresses a pressing gap in cancer care: Many people with advanced lung cancer are living longer because of treatment advances, but depression, anxiety and distress can still affect daily life, relationships and the ability to cope with treatment.

This is the first study to test psilocybin-assisted therapy for depression specifically in people with lung cancer. The emotional strain can be especially intense for people with lung cancer, yet treatment options for cancer-related depression have changed little as cancer care has improved.

Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic compound found in certain mushrooms. In this study, it is given in a carefully controlled medical setting with counseling and support from trained therapists.

"There is growing evidence that psilocybin-assisted therapy may help relieve depression in people with cancer, but no study has focused specifically on patients with lung cancer," said Alan Davis, PhD, co-principal investigator of the study and directs Ohio State's Center for Psychedelic Drug Research and Education. "This is the first clinical trial designed to determine whether this approach can address the unique psychological challenges faced by this patient population."

"Many patients are diagnosed with advanced disease and are forced to confront questions about their future very quickly," said Theodore Wagener, PhD, co-principal investigator of the study and director of Ohio State's Center for Tobacco Research. Both Wagener and Davis are scientists with the OSUCCC – James Cancer Control Research Program. "Patients may experience anxiety, existential distress, loss of meaning and concerns about their families. Some also carry guilt tied to the stigma that can be associated with lung cancer."

Researchers say these emotional burdens can affect quality of life, daily routines, relationships and how patients experience cancer treatment.

Testing a guided treatment model

During this clinical trial, researchers will measure changes in depression and emotional well-being to learn whether the approach could offer another option for patients facing advanced cancer.

The trial combines psychotherapy with one supervised dose of psilocybin. Participants first complete about eight hours of preparation with two trained therapists. They then receive psilocybin during a daylong treatment session in a comfortable clinical setting, followed by counseling to help them process the experience.

"From the moment patients enter the study, they are paired with two therapists who support them throughout the entire process," Davis said. "The goal is to help participants feel safe, build trust and make sense of their experiences in ways that may improve their well-being."

Researchers also are studying whether psilocybin may affect inflammation, though more research is needed.

Looking beyond the cancer

For study participant Betty Paschall, the therapy was part of a turning point after a devastating diagnosis. Paschall was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and initially felt overwhelmed by depression despite receiving treatment for her cancer.

"I didn't want to live," she said. "It was like I was the walking dead."

After participating in the study, Paschall said she noticed meaningful changes in her outlook and daily life. She began engaging in activities she had stopped doing and found herself reconnecting with the people and experiences that brought her joy.

"My sister and daughter both saw a difference in me," Paschall said. "I started to get back to myself a little more."

Researchers caution that psilocybin-assisted therapy remains experimental and is not appropriate for every patient. Participants undergo careful screening, and treatment is provided only under close medical supervision.

A successful study, investigators say, could help identify which patients are most likely to benefit and lay the groundwork for larger studies aimed at expanding treatment options for cancer-related depression.

"Cancer care has made major advances, but treatment for the depression, anxiety and distress that can come with advanced cancer has not moved as quickly," Wagener said. "We hope this research helps us better support the whole person, not just the cancer."

More Information 

Patients interested in being screened to participate in the study should contact Angela Douglas at douglas.496@osu.edu. To learn more about lung cancer treatment at the OSUCCC - James, visit cancer.osu.edu or call 1-800-293-5066.

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Method of Research

Randomized controlled/clinical trial

Subject of Research

People

Betty Paschall, a stage 4 lung cancer survivor, plays with her dog Mocha at their home in Delaware, Ohio.

Psychedelics Could Lessen Depression in Lung Cancer Patients [VIDEO] 

A clinical trial at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute is exploring a novel approach to treat mental health struggles in lung cancer patients: psilocybin-assisted therapy.

Credit

The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center

Early interventions for depression tied to better cancer survival

Large Medicare analysis finds depression was linked to higher cancer mortality, while psychotherapy soon after diagnosis was associated with lower risk

American Society for Radiation Oncology

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BOSTON, September 28, 2026 — Depression may be an overlooked factor in cancer outcomes, according to a large SEER-Medicare analysis of more than 265,000 adults with six common cancers.

Researchers found that patients with major depressive disorder had a higher risk of dying from their cancer, while those who received psychotherapy within four weeks of their cancer diagnosis had a 21% lower risk of cancer-specific mortality. Only 3% of patients with depression received psychotherapy in that early window, however. Results will be presented today at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting.

“Depression can be easy to miss in cancer care because symptoms such as fatigue, difficulty concentrating and loss of interest often overlap with the effects of cancer or its treatment,” said Edmund M. Qiao, MD, lead study author and a radiation oncology resident at the University of California San Diego. “But when depression goes unrecognized or untreated, it can add another layer of difficulty at a time when patients need support the most. Our findings suggest that earlier screening and referral for psychotherapy could help address an important gap in comprehensive cancer care.”

Depression is common among people with cancer, but mental health services are not always integrated into oncology care. For the current study, researchers sought to understand whether depression itself was associated with cancer mortality and whether outcomes differed according to the type and timing of mental health treatment. The retrospective analysis examined two common approaches to treating depression: psychotherapy and antidepressant medication.

Researchers analyzed records from 265,639 Medicare beneficiaries age 66 or older who were diagnosed from 2010 to 2017 with breast, colorectal, prostate, bladder, kidney or non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). More than one in five patients (22%) also had a diagnosis of major depressive disorder.

Psychotherapy was identified through Medicare procedure codes, while pharmacotherapy was identified through Medicare Part D claims for antidepressant medications. Researchers evaluated treatment within four weeks of cancer diagnosis, with additional analyses at eight and 12 weeks.

Patients with both cancer and depression had an 11% higher risk of cancer-specific mortality than those without depression. One year after diagnosis, 29% of patients with depression had died from their cancer, compared with 21% of patients without depression. At five years, cancer-specific mortality was 43% for patients with depression, compared to 35% for those without it.

Psychotherapy soon after cancer diagnosis showed the strongest association with lower cancer mortality among patients with depression. Patients who received psychotherapy within four weeks had a 21% lower risk of cancer-specific mortality in adjusted analyses using propensity score weighting. There were smaller reductions associated with psychotherapy at eight weeks (13% lower risk) and 12 weeks (12% lower risk).

“Patients who connected with psychotherapy earlier tended to have better outcomes than those who did not receive it during that period,” Dr. Qiao said. “For oncology providers, these findings support identifying patients who may need mental health care and connecting them with appropriate services as early as possible.”

Five-year cancer-specific mortality was 31% among patients who received psychotherapy and 44% among those who did not. In this large patient cohort, however, only 3% of patients with depression had a psychotherapy session within four weeks of their cancer diagnosis, growing to just 4.6% by 12 weeks.

Medication was used much more often than psychotherapy, by 32.5% of patients within four weeks of their cancer diagnosis. It was not associated with lower cancer-specific mortality at any of the measured timepoints when analyzing the cohort without accounting for specific cancer type, however.

Researchers also examined associations between mental health, treatment and cancer-specific mortality for each of the six cancer types. Depression was most common among patients with NSCLC (27%) and least common among those with prostate cancer (13%). It was significantly associated with higher cancer-specific mortality in every cancer group, with the strongest association seen in prostate cancer.

The association between psychotherapy and cancer-specific mortality varied by cancer type, reaching statistical significance for prostate, breast and kidney cancer. Pharmacotherapy was significantly associated with lower cancer-specific mortality among patients with prostate cancer.

The differences across cancer types suggest that the relationship between mental health and cancer outcomes may be more nuanced than a single approach to depression management can capture, Dr. Qiao said.

“In the general population, psychotherapy and medication can both be effective ways to manage depression,” he said. “But cancer care adds context. A patient’s cancer type, prognosis and treatment course may influence both their mental health needs and which interventions are most helpful.”

Because the study was retrospective, it cannot establish that psychotherapy caused the reduction in cancer mortality. Although the researchers used statistical methods to account for measured differences between patients who did and did not receive mental health treatment, unmeasured factors could have influenced both access to psychotherapy and cancer outcomes. The analysis also was limited to Medicare beneficiaries, and future research is needed to examine whether similar patterns are seen in younger patients.

“Cancer care has become increasingly personalized, but mental health care in oncology often remains generalized,” Dr. Qiao said. “These findings suggest we need to think more carefully about how depression may affect different types of cancer and how we can work with patients to create individualized support plans early in their care.”

ASTRO Expert Perspective

“Depression is common among people facing cancer, but it is often under recognized and undertreated. This study shows that timely treatment for depression is associated with better cancer survival. Patients who received treatment within 1 month of diagnosis had a lower risk of cancer death; it also shows that psychotherapy may potentially be underutilized given larger benefits over medication. Tailored and appropriate screening and referral for mental health care is an essential part of life-saving oncology care,” said ASTRO expert Fumiko Chino, MD, a radiation oncologist at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

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This release contains updated study data provided by the authors. Where figures differ from the abstract, please use those reported in this release.

Attribution to the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting is requested in all coverage.

Study & Presentation Details

• Dr. Qiao will discuss this study in a news briefing on Tuesday, Sept. 29; register here.
• Abstract details (available after 5:00pm ET on Sept. 25; embargoed abstract available on request)
• Session details & virtual meeting link
• Dr. Qiao’s bio & disclosures
• Find more information about the meeting in our press kit.

ABOUT ASTRO

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) is the world’s largest professional society dedicated to advancing radiation medicine, with 11,000 members including physicians, nurses, physicists, radiation therapists, dosimetrists and other professionals who work to improve patient outcomes through clinical care, research, education and advocacy. Radiation therapy is integral to 40% of cancer cures worldwide, and more than one million Americans receive radiation treatments for their cancer each year. For information on radiation therapy, visit Speed of Light – The ASTRO Foundation. To learn more about ASTRO, visit our website and press room and connect with us on social media.