All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Study: Men die of cancer more often than women
Last reviewed: 30.06.2025
The overall cancer mortality rate among men in the United States is higher than among women. This is the conclusion reached by scientists from the National Cancer Institute, led by Michael Cook, who analyzed a database of 36 types of cancer and systematized the data by gender and age of patients.
It turned out that men die from cancer more often, and this applies to most types of cancer. Thus, for every woman who dies from lip cancer, there are 5.51 men, and in cases of laryngeal cancer, this proportion looks like 5.37:1. Subpharyngeal cancer kills 4.47 men, esophageal cancer - 4.08, bladder cancer - 3.36.
Lung and bronchial cancer kills one woman and 2.31 men, bowel and colon cancer - 1.42 men; for pancreatic cancer the statistics are as follows: 1.37 men per 1 woman, for leukemia - 1.75:1, for liver cancer and intrahepatic bile ducts - 2.23:1.
When the researchers analyzed five-year survival rates, taking into account the patient’s age, year of diagnosis, stage, and grade of the tumor, they found that gender did not significantly affect the chances of survival. However, for many types of cancer, men have worse survival rates than women, but the difference is small. It is difficult to pinpoint a single underlying cause for this difference, but factors that could contribute include the “individuality” of the tumor’s behavior, testing for cancer in the absence of symptoms, the presence of other medical conditions, and the person’s willingness to seek medical care.
In the future, scientists hope to identify the causes of gender differences in cancer incidence, which will allow them to take preventive measures to reduce the number of cancer patients among both men and women.
[