A recent study found women are more likely to survive cancer as compared to men; however, they are at a high chance of complications.
As per research published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, female cancer patients have a 21% reduced mortality risk in contrast to men across 12 different kinds of advanced cancers.
Scientists found that these women are at a 12% increased risk of developing complications from cancer treatment — chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and more.
Lead researcher Natansh Modi stated, “Women demonstrated a survival advantage, but at the cost of increased severe toxicity.”
For the study, scientists assessed data from over 20,000 cancer patients across 39 trials.
The trial included 12 advanced kinds of solid tumours, including colon, lung, melanoma, and breast cancers.
Results found that sex is considered the most major predictor of outcomes in cancer treatment.
Modi stated, “Sex is a fundamental biological factor that influences immune function, drug metabolism, body composition and tumor biology.”
“Yet despite longstanding recommendations from regulatory and funding bodies to report outcomes by sex, it is still treated as an afterthought in many trials and is rarely factored into baseline risk or used to personalize treatment decisions,” Modi added.
Making sex a consideration in deciding cancer care could have powerful implications for how cancer drugs are developed and prescribed.
