• Question: Is any type of cancer found more in women or more in men ?

    Asked by roseandellie to Gioia, Iain, Jo, Leo, Mariam on 16 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Iain Moal

      Iain Moal answered on 16 Jun 2010:

      Hello Rose & Ellie,
      Yes. Testicular and prostate cancers are only ever found in men, and I bet you can guess why. Cervical, ovarian and uterine cancer is only found in women for the same reason. Breast cancer is mostly found in women, although it can occur in men too.

      Men are at greater risk than women in general at developing many types of cancer. Twice as many men smoke as women, so man have about twice as much lung cancer. Men are also more likely to develop leukaemia, lymphoma, brain, kindey, bowel, oesophagus and stomach cancer. This is mainly because men tend to drink more alcohol and eat more meat than women. Women, on the other hand, are more likely to develop skin cancer, because they spend more time in the sun or in sunbeds.

      Of course, these are just general trends. Anyone who eats well, avoids sunbeds and doesn’t smoke is much less likely to get cancer, irrespective of their gender.

    • Photo: Mariam Orme

      Mariam Orme answered on 16 Jun 2010:

      Cancers that affect the reproductive organs are unique to women or men (for obvious reasons!). So for example, women can get cancer of the uterus or ovaries, while testicular and prostate cancer are very common in men.

      Also, breast cancer is much, much more common in women. Despite what you might assume, men do have some breast tissue – so it’s possible for men to get breast cancer, but it’s very uncommon.

    • Photo: Leo Garcia

      Leo Garcia answered on 16 Jun 2010:

      Without sounds like I’m stating the obvious – cancers of the breast and female reproductive system are, of course, found more in women than men. Though men can breast cancer, too – although less frequently than women.

      In terms of cancers that both sexes can get – according to here:

      http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/cancerstats/incidence/commoncancers/index.htm

      More men, in 2007 in the UK, got lung cancer than women. In fact, more men overall got cancer than women in that year. So, there is a difference in the sexes – and it is a very interesting area of research! Can you think of why, for example, more men than women would get lung cancer?

    • Photo: Gioia Cherubini

      Gioia Cherubini answered on 16 Jun 2010:

      Tumours that are associated to the reproductive systems are necessarily gender-related. So you can have ovary cancer only in women and prostate cancer only in men. Breast cancer is found almost only in women, but there are some rare cases of male breast cancer.

    • Photo: Joanna Watson

      Joanna Watson answered on 16 Jun 2010:

      Yes, definitely. Breast cancer is much, much more common in women – but some men do get it, and there are also cancers like ovarian cancer, cervical cancer and endometrial cancer that only women can get because men don’t have those body parts. Most cancers that both men and women can get are more common in me though.

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