Why do men face a higher risk of most types of cancer than women?

Rates of most types of cancer are higher in men than in women for reasons that are still unclear. Results from a recent study published in CANCER journal suggest that the cause may be underlying biological sex differences rather than behavioral differences related to smoking, alcohol use, diet, and other factors.

To investigate further, the researchers assessed differences in cancer risk among 171,274 male and 122,826 female adults aged 50–71 years. Incidence was lower in men than women only for thyroid and gallbladder cancers, and risks were higher in men than women at other anatomic sites. The greatest increased risks in men were seen for esophageal cancer, larynx, gastric cardia, and bladder cancer.

Men had an increased risk of most cancers even after adjusting for a wide range of risk behaviors and carcinogenic exposures. Hence, the findings suggested that biological differences between sexes-such as physiological, immunological, genetic, and other differences—play a major role in the cancer susceptibility of men versus women.

The authors hence concluded 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.

Reference:

"Sex disparities in the incidence of 21 cancer types: quantification of the contribution of risk factors." Sarah S. Jackson, Morgan A. Marks, Hormuzd A. Katki, Michael B. Cook, Noorie