Fidler‐Benaoudia, M. M., Torre, L. A., Bray, F., Ferlay, J., & Jemal, A. (2020). Lung cancer incidence in young women vs. young men: A systematic analysis in 40 countries. International Journal of Cancer, 147(3), 811-819.
Men have had more considerable lung cancer incidence rates than women because men began smoking sooner and smoked more often. Nonetheless, recent studies have found converging lung cancer incidence rates between sexes, with research from the United States indicating that young women had a greater lung cancer incidence rate than young males. Significantly, lung cancer is the most frequent type of cancer in males and the second most prevalent in women worldwide. Thus, the authors compare lung cancer incidence rates in young females and males in forty countries across five continents. The rising prevalence of lung cancer in young females compared to young males is widespread and not entirely explained by gender variations in smoking habits.
Stapelfeld, C., Dammann, C., & Maser, E. (2020). Sex‐specificity in lung cancer risk. International Journal of Cancer, 146(9), 2376-2382.
The authors present an overview of lung cancer risk and its relationship to gender. For instance, more significant levels of lung DNA adducts correspond with higher levels of activating enzyme expression. Female smokers had a 2.4-3.9-fold increased amount of CYP1A1, an enzyme involved in the metabolism of tobacco carcinogens. This altered enzyme level is linked to a higher likelihood of lung cancer. Women were discovered to have more relevant mutations that cigarette carcinogens than males might cause. Another indicator of the female sex hormone effect on lung cancer is the much higher percentage of diagnosed women who are primarily premenopausal compared to diagnosed males of the same age. Lung carcinogenesis is a highly complex occurrence, and particular risk variables, such as sex, are fiercely disputed. Nonetheless, the authors claim that gender, specifically hormones, demonstrates a critical role in the development of tobacco-induced lung cancer.