The Role of Genetics in Sex-Specific Cancer Outcomes.

Two new studies published in the journal Nature have found that the Y chromosome, which characterizes males, plays a key role in colon and bladder cancers. The studies show that genetics can sometimes explain why sex matters in cancer outcomes. Identifying sex differences in cancer can call attention to patients at higher risk for recurrence and therefore in need of closer surveillance and potentially additional therapies. The findings suggest that to best target cancer care, researchers have to study how genetics operate in the context of a patient's sex, race, age, and lifestyle.