Men More Likely Than Women to Receive Late-Stage Cancer Diagnosis: Study
USA: A national registry analysis has revealed that men are significantly more likely than women to be diagnosed with late-stage cancer across 20 different tumor types. The greatest disparities were observed in tongue, thyroid, and salivary gland cancers. These differences are likely driven by a combination of biological, social, and cultural factors, highlighting the need for improved awareness, timely evaluation, and equitable access to cancer screening and diagnosis for men.
The findings, published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention by Beth J. Maclin of the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics at the National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland, and colleagues, examined whether sex influences the stage at which nonreproductive solid organ cancers are diagnosed. Since men experience higher cancer-related mortality than women, the researchers sought to determine whether differences in stage at diagnosis may contribute to this disparity.
For the study, investigators analyzed data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER-21) database collected between 2015 and 2022, excluding 2020. The analysis included 30 nonreproductive solid organ cancer sites. Using multivariable polytomous logistic regression, the researchers evaluated the association between sex and cancer stage at diagnosis, comparing localized disease with regional and distant-stage disease after adjusting for age and year of diagnosis. Additional analyses examined whether the associations differed according to race, ethnicity, and county-level median household income.
Key findings from the study include:
- Men had significantly higher odds than women of being diagnosed with regional and/or distant-stage cancer for 20 of the 30 cancer types examined.
- For four cancer sites, men were less likely than women to present with advanced-stage disease.
- Tongue cancer showed the largest male predominance for distant-stage diagnosis, with men more than twice as likely as women to be diagnosed after the cancer had spread.
- The greatest sex disparities overall were observed in tongue, thyroid, and salivary gland cancers.
- Bladder cancer was the cancer site with the strongest female predominance for distant-stage diagnosis.
- The association between male sex and advanced-stage diagnosis remained significant after adjusting for age and year of diagnosis.
- Stratified analyses further assessed differences across racial and ethnic groups and county-level median household income.
The authors said the observed sex differences in cancer stage at diagnosis likely reflect a combination of biological, healthcare, social, and behavioral factors rather than biology alone.
They called for further research to clarify the underlying mechanisms and develop targeted strategies to reduce diagnostic disparities. Improving awareness, promoting timely evaluation of symptoms, and ensuring equitable access to cancer screening and diagnostic services may help reduce late-stage cancer diagnoses, particularly among men.
Reference:
Beth J. Maclin, Meredith S. Shiels, Prema Bhattacharjee, Sarah S. Jackson; Sex Differences in Cancer Stage at Diagnosis of Nonreproductive Solid Organ Tumors in the United States, 2015 to 2022. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 1 July 2026; 35 (7): 1166–1173. https://doi.org/10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-25-1826
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