Is Cancer Risk Higher in Men Than Women?

Cancer occurs more commonly in men than women for reasons that are still not clear to researchers.

Highlights:

Men are at a greater risk of developing cancer than women.
Biological sex differences rather than behavioral differences such as smoking, alcohol, food habits or other factors may be the cause.
Strategies to reduce cancer occurrence based on sex disparities can be developed.

Cancer prevalence is higher in men than women for reasons unknown to researchers yet. It could be biological sex differences rather than behavioral differences linked to smoking, alcohol usage, food and other factors, suggested the new study published by Wiley online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

The causes of sex-related disparities in cancer risk may be better understood, which will help with prevention and therapy. Researchers evaluated variations in cancer risk for each of the 21 cancer sites among 171,274 male and 122,826 female adults ages 50-71 enrolled in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health study from 1995 to 2011.

Pap smear and Cervical Cancer Screening
Pap smear is the most common test used in screening cervical cancer caused by an infection with human papilloma virus. Pap smear should be repeated every 1 to 3 years till the age of 65 years.

During the study period, 8,742 women and 17,951 men were diagnosed with cancer. Only thyroid and gallbladder cancers were less common in males than women, and risks were 1.3 to 10.8 times higher in men than women at other anatomic locations. Men were most at risk for esophageal cancer (10.8% greater risk), larynx (3.5 times higher risk), gastric cancer (3.5 times higher risk), and bladder cancer (3.3-times higher risk).

Even after accounting for a wide range of risk factors and carcinogenic exposures, men still had a higher risk of developing most malignancies. Variation in risk behavior and carcinogenic exposure between males and females accounted for a modest number of cancers in men. It ranged from 11% for esophageal cancer to 50% for lung cancer.

The results imply that biological variations between sexes, such as physiological, immunological, genetic and other factors, significantly influence whether men or women are more susceptible to developing cancer.

Papillary Thyroid Cancer - Types, Risk Factors, Diagnosis, Treatment
Papillary thyroid cancer accounts for almost 80 % of all thyroid cancer cases. Surgery and radioiodine therapy are the mostly used treatment options.

“Our results show that there are differences in cancer incidence that are not explained by environmental exposures alone. This suggests that there are intrinsic biological differences between men and women that affect susceptibility to cancer,” said Dr Jackson.

The study's results are discussed in an editorial that emphasizes the need for a comprehensive strategy to reduce sex disparities in cancer.

Penile Cancer | Cancer of the Penis – Risk Factors Symptoms Diagnosis Treatment
Penile cancer or cancer of the penis often affects adult males. Penile cancer may be treated with surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

“Strategically including sex as, a biological variable should be enforced along the whole cancer continuum from risk prediction and cancer primary prevention, cancer screening and secondary prevention, to cancer treatment and patient management. Examining and addressing sex disparities in cancer and other diseases is an ongoing quest. Bench to bedside translational studies which effectively transform the existing research findings into clinical practice is a scalable means within easy reach to achieve precision medicine and will mitigate- and may ultimately eradicate- sex disparities in cancer,” wrote the authors.

Peritoneal Cancer – Types – Symptoms and Signs – Diagnosis - Treatment
Peritoneal cancer is a rare cancer that develops in the peritoneum. Peritoneal cancers may be primary or secondary and symptoms of peritoneal cancer are vague.

Source-Medindia