New Implications of Patients’ Sex in Today’s Lung Cancer Management

This paper describes where and how sex matters in today’s management of lung cancer. We consecutively describe the differences between males and females in lung cancer demographics; sex-based differences in the immune system (including the poorer outcomes in women who are treated with immunotherapy...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jo Raskin, Annemiek Snoeckx, Annelies Janssens, Charlotte De Bondt, Reinier Wener, Mick van de Wiel, Jan P. van Meerbeeck, Evelien Smits
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-07-01
Series:Cancers
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/14/14/3399
Description
Summary:This paper describes where and how sex matters in today’s management of lung cancer. We consecutively describe the differences between males and females in lung cancer demographics; sex-based differences in the immune system (including the poorer outcomes in women who are treated with immunotherapy but no chemotherapy); the presence of oncogenic drivers and the response to targeted therapies according to sex; the greater benefit women derive from lung cancer screening and why they get screened less; and finally, the barriers to smoking cessation that women experience. We conclude that sex is an important but often overlooked factor in modern-day thoracic oncology practice.
ISSN:2072-6694