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| Malignant mesothelioma, indicated by yellow arrows, is one of the cancers in which men are more likely to die than women. (courtesy Wikipedia, by Stevenfruitsmaak) |
It may not surprise many that men diagnosed with cancer are more likely to die of the disease than women. A new study, however, quantifies the differences in mortality between men and women for a variety of cancers.
The study’s lead author Michael Cook, a researcher in the division of epidemiology and genetics at the National Cancer Institute and colleagues published their findings today in the journal Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
The study reported widely by Reuters, Medical News Today and the Seattle Times analyzed 36 types of cancer by gender over the 30-year period between 1977 and 2006. They found that five men die of lip cancer, for example, for every woman with the disease. Similarly 2.3 males with lung cancer die of the disease compared to women with lung cancer.
Overall, women were more likely than men to die of only a few cancers including breast, thyroid and gall-bladder cancer.
The researchers attributed the difference in mortality between men and women with cancer to a variety of factors. Women tend to be more health conscious and seek medical attention more often than men. Consequently cancer in women tends to be caught earlier at a more treatable stage. Other factors include work environments and genetic differences.
• Reuters
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