Genetic basis for gender variations in cancer risk identified

A new study has shed light on a possible genetic explanation for the discrepancy in cancer risk between men and women.

Researchers from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have discovered that females carry an extra copy of certain protective genes in their cells, offering an additional line of defence against the out-of-control cell growth that leads to cancer.

The gene in question is called KDM6A and is located on the X chromosome, of which females have two, whereas male cells carry only one X chromosome, paired with a shorter Y chromosome.

This phenomenon is not thought to be wholly responsible for the greater risk of cancer in males, but is likely to account for at least some of the imbalance, including up to 80 percent of the excess male cases in some tumour types.

Study co-senior author Dr Andrew Lane said: "Across virtually every type of cancer, occurrence rates are higher in males than in females. In some cases, the difference might be very small – just a few percent – but in certain cancers, incidence is two or three times higher in males."

Future research could now be conducted to ascertain if men and women respond differently to treatment because of genetic differences in their tumours.

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