Main roads
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Women are more likely to survive cancer than men
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However, they are also more likely to cause serious side effects of cancer treatment
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The researchers said that the patient’s gender should be considered in the cancer treatment schedule
WEDNESDAY, March 18, 2026 (NewsDay News) – Women are more likely to survive cancer than men, but they are also more likely to develop serious complications. treatmentsays a new review of the evidence.
Researchers recently reported that female cancer patients had a 21% lower risk of death than male cancer patients in 12 types of advanced cancer. Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
However, they have a 12% higher risk of adverse events effects of chemotherapyradiation therapy and other treatments used to save their lives, researchers found.
“Women showed a survival advantage, but at the expense of increased toxicity,” the lead researcher Nathan Modya professor of pharmacology at the University of Adelaide in Australia, said in a news release.
For the new study, researchers analyzed data from more than 20,000 cancer patients in 39 trials that supported US drug approval between 2011 and 2021.
The trials covered 12 advanced types of solid tumors, including lung, colon, melanoma and breast cancer.
Modi said the results provide clear evidence that gender is a major predictor of outcomes in cancer treatment.
“Gender is a major biological factor influencing immune function, drug metabolism, body composition and tumor biology,” Modi said. “Despite long-standing regulatory and funding recommendations to report results by sex, it is still treated as an afterthought in many trials, underestimating baseline risk or used to personalize treatment decisions.”
Gender may affect how cancer drugs are developed and prescribed when choosing a cancer treatment, researchers said.
“This is about improving outcomes for every cancer patient,” Modi said. “If women live longer but experience more serious outcomes, we need to recognize that and respond to that. At the same time, we need to better understand why male patients seem to have poorer lives.”
More information
Yale School of Medicine has more information sex differences in cancer.
Source: University of Adelaide, release, March 16, 2026
What does this mean for you?
Women should be aware that they have a higher risk of side effects from cancer treatment.
