Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2018 Jul 1;26(4):335-342.
doi: 10.4062/biomolther.2018.103.

Sex Differences in Cancer: Epidemiology, Genetics and Therapy

Hae-In Kim  1 , Hyesol Lim  1 , Aree Moon  1
Affiliations
Review

Sex Differences in Cancer: Epidemiology, Genetics and Therapy

Hae-In Kim et al. Biomol Ther (Seoul). .

Abstract

The incidence and mortality of various cancers are associated with sex-specific disparities. Sex differences in cancer epidemiology are one of the most significant findings. Men are more prone to die from cancer, particularly hematological malignancies. Sex difference in cancer incidence is attributed to regulation at the genetic/molecular level and sex hormones such as estrogen. At the genetic/molecular level, gene polymorphism and altered enzymes involving drug metabolism generate differences in cancer incidence between men and women. Sex hormones modulate gene expression in various cancers. Genetic or hormonal differences between men and women determine the effect of chemotherapy. Until today, animal studies and clinical trials investigating chemotherapy showed sex imbalance. Chemotherapy has been used without consideration of sex differences, resulting in disparity of efficacy and toxicity between sexes. Based on accumulating evidence supporting sex differences in chemotherapy, all clinical trials in cancer must incorporate sex differences for a better understanding of biological differences between men and women. In the present review, we summarized the sex differences in (1) incidence and mortality of cancer, (2) genetic and molecular basis of cancer, (3) sex hormones in cancer incidence, and (4) efficacy and toxicity of chemotherapy. This review provides useful information for sex-based chemotherapy and development of personalized therapeutic strategies against cancer.

Keywords: Cancer; Chemotherapy; Sex Difference; Sex hormone.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

    1. Anderson GD. Sex and racial differences in pharmacological response: where is the evidence? Pharmacogenetics, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics. J Womens Health (Larchmt) 2005;14:19–29. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2005.14.19. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Arand M, Mühlbauer R, Hengstler J, Jäger E, Fuchs J, Winkler L, Oesch F. A multiplex polymerase chain reaction protocol for the simultaneous analysis of the glutathione S-transferase GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphisms. Anal Biochem. 1996;236:184–186. doi: 10.1006/abio.1996.0153. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Arnold M, Sierra MS, Laversanne M, Soerjomataram I, Jemal A, Bray F. Global patterns and trends in colorectal cancer incidence and mortality. Gut. 2017;66:683–691. doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2015-310912. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Asher G, Lotem J, Kama R, Sachs L, Shaul Y. NQO1 stabilizes p53 through a distinct pathway. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2002;99:3099–3104. doi: 10.1073/pnas.052706799. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Becker JB, Arnold AP, Berkley KJ, Blaustein JD, Eckel LA, Hampson E, Herman JP, Marts S, Sadee W, Steiner M, Taylor J, Young E. Strategies and methods for research on sex differences in brain and behavior. Endocrinology. 2005;146:1650–1673. doi: 10.1210/en.2004-1142. - DOI - PubMed