Cancer incidence study reveals gender disparities in China and UK

A decade-long study involving nearly 590,000 participants has analyzed the factors contributing to higher cancer rates in men compared to women. The research utilized data from two Chinese studies in Shanghai and the UK Biobank.

In the Chinese cohort, modifiable risk factors accounted for 84.4% of the difference in cancer incidence between genders. Smoking was the primary driver, responsible for 51.75% of this gap, followed by heavy alcohol consumption at 15.1%. Other factors included chronic liver disease and low fruit consumption.

In contrast, lifestyle factors explained only 26.2% of the gender gap in the British cohort. In the UK, obesity was the most significant analyzed factor (7.68%), followed by tobacco use (6.26%) and diabetes. The study noted that the incidence rate for men relative to women was 1.66 in China and 1.49 in the UK.