Women are more likely to survive cancer than men but face a higher risk of severe treatment side effects, according to a major Australian-led study.
CANBERRA: A major international study led by Australian researchers has revealed a significant sex-based disparity in cancer outcomes, with women showing higher survival rates but also suffering more severe side effects from treatment.
Published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the research found female patients had a 21% lower risk of death compared to male patients across multiple cancer types.
Conversely, the analysis showed women faced a 12% higher risk of experiencing severe toxicities from their cancer therapies.
These consistent differences were observed across 12 different types of advanced solid tumours, including lung, colorectal, melanoma, and breast cancers.
The patterns held true across various treatment modalities, including chemotherapy, targeted therapies, and immunotherapy.
Lead author Natansh Modi from Adelaide University said the study provides some of the clearest evidence yet that biological sex is a key predictor of outcomes in cancer care.
“Sex is a fundamental biological factor that influences immune function, drug metabolism, body composition and tumour biology,” Modi explained.
The researchers suggested the findings point to underlying biological mechanisms driving the differences, rather than just drug-specific effects.
Their conclusions are based on an analysis of data from more than 20,000 cancer patients across 39 clinical trials that supported US Food and Drug Administration approvals between 2011 and 2021.
The authors said the findings have important implications for how cancer drugs are evaluated and prescribed in the future.
They argue the evidence strengthens the case for routinely reporting and acting on sex-specific data in all clinical research.
The university released a statement detailing the study’s findings on Monday.
