Cancers, Vol. 12, Pages 1819: Sex and Gender Disparities in Melanoma
Cancers, Vol. 12, Pages 1819: Sex and Gender Disparities in Melanoma
Cancers doi: 10.3390/cancers12071819
Authors:
Maria Bellenghi
Rossella Puglisi
Giada Pontecorvi
Alessandra De De Feo
Alessandra Carè
Gianfranco Mattia
Worldwide, the total incidence of cutaneous melanoma is higher in men than in women, with some differences related to ethnicity and age and, above all, sex and gender. Differences exist in respect to the anatomic localization of melanoma, in that it is more frequent on the trunk in men and on the lower limbs in women. A debated issue is if—and to what extent—melanoma development can be attributed to gender-specific behaviors or to biologically intrinsic differences. In the search for factors responsible for the divergences, a pivotal role of sex hormones has been observed, although conflicting results indicate the involvement of other mechanisms. The presence on the X chromosome of numerous miRNAs and coding genes playing immunological roles represents another important factor, whose relevance can be even increased by the incomplete X chromosome random inactivation. Considering the known advantages of the female immune system, a different cancer immune surveillance efficacy was suggested to explain some sex disparities. Indeed, the complexity of this picture emerged when the recently developed immunotherapies unexpectedly showed better improvements in men than in women. Altogether, these data support the necessity...
Source: Cancers - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Maria Bellenghi Rossella Puglisi Giada Pontecorvi Alessandra De De Feo Alessandra Car è Gianfranco Mattia Tags: Review Source Type: research
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