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Posted on 07/09/2026 4:06:08 PM PDT by nickcarraway
More late-stage diagnoses add to higher cancer mortality burden for men
Key Takeaways:
-Men have a significantly higher likelihood of late-stage cancer diagnosis across 20 different tumor types.
-The largest disparities involved tongue, thyroid, and salivary gland cancers.
-The reasons for the disparity appear to be multifactorial, involving biological, social, and cultural determinants.
Men had a higher likelihood than women for late-stage diagnosis of 20 different types of cancer, data from a national registry network showed.
The analysis of 30 nonreproductive organ cancers showed men had higher odds ratios for regional or distant metastasis at diagnosis in two-thirds of the cancer types. Men had a significantly higher risk of regional spread at diagnosis for 16 cancers and distant metastasis for 17. The largest male/female disparity was for tongue, thyroid, and salivary gland cancers, as later-stage diagnosis occurred twice as often. Only for bladder cancer did men have significantly lower odds of later-stage diagnosis (for both regional and distant spread).
Cancers where men had a higher odds for both regional and distant metastasis at diagnosis included several cancers of the head and neck, melanoma, and gastric, lung, thyroid, and kidney cancers, among others.
The findings add to men's long-recognized higher risk of dying of cancer and could provide insight into reasons for the disparity, reported Beth Maclin, PhD, MPH, of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
"The findings of this study underscore pronounced and site-specific sex differences in cancer stage at diagnosis, suggesting the need for targeted strategies for early detection and intervention," the authors concluded. "Additional studies are warranted to investigate the underlying causes of these stage differences in order to inform future interventions focused on reducing diagnostic delays, particularly for males."
The results added to multiple observational studies that have "consistently shown that men are less likely than women to participate in preventive healthcare, including cancer screening. This has been consistent with my own clinical experience," said Jose Barreau, MD, of PreOncology, a Florida-based oncology practice focusing on prevention and early detection.
"The disparity is likely driven by a combination of biological, behavioral, and healthcare utilization factors," Barreau told MedPage Today. "Men are generally less likely to have regular interactions with the healthcare system, are less likely to establish ongoing primary care relationships, and often delay seeking medical evaluation. Traditional gender norms may also contribute, with many men underestimating risk or postponing preventive care until symptoms arise. Practical barriers such as work schedules and access to care also play a role."
"Improving participation will require making prevention more personalized, easier to access, and more clearly connected to an individual's actual risk rather than relying solely on age-based recommendations," he added.
The results "are not surprising" and are consistent with studies "published many years ago," showing sex-based disparities in stage at cancer diagnosis, said Jingqin Luo, PhD, of Washington University in St. Louis.
"This is a very comprehensive and updated analysis using the most recent data," Luo, who is an expert for the American Association for Cancer Research, told MedPage Today. "This study dives more deeply into site-specific analysis and stratifies by race and income and other factors, so it kind of addresses how social determinants of health influence the diagnosis stage."
The study represented a continuation of previous work showing that men are more likely to die of cancer than women, the authors noted in their introduction. Using data from the NCI Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry program, they performed a pan-cancer analysis to examine sex differences in cancer stage at diagnosis.
The analysis encompassed 30 nonreproductive solid organ cancers diagnosed from 2015 to 2022, excluding 2020. Investigators performed multiple logistic regression calculations to assess associations between sex and stage of disease at diagnosis (localized vs regional and localized vs distant) for each cancer site.
The analysis included 2,401,772 patients, and men accounted for 56.9% of the study population. About 45% of cancers were localized at diagnosis. The most commonly diagnosed cancers in men were lung (20.3%), colon (15.7%), and bladder (11.1%), as compared with lung (26%), colon (18.2%), and thyroid (9.8%) in women.
Diagnosis at regional versus localized stage occurred significantly more often in men for 16 of the 30 cancers. The largest adjusted ORs (aORs) were for cancers of the:
Tongue: aOR 2.51, 95% CI 2.40-2.64 Salivary gland: aOR 1.93, 95% CI 1.78-2.09 Oropharynx: aOR 1.80, 95% CI 1.51-2.14 Thyroid: aOR 1.74, 95% CI 1.69-1.78 Stomach: aOR 1.67, 95% CI 1.61-1.74 Lung and bronchus: aOR 1.25, 95% CI 1.23-1.27 Kidney and renal pelvis: aOR 1.22, 95% CI 1.19-1.25 Men had significantly higher odds for distant metastasis at diagnosis for 17 of the 30 cancers, including:
Tongue: aOR 2.34, 95% CI 2.16-2.53 Thyroid: aOR 2.28, 95% CI 2.14-2.43 Salivary gland: aOR 1.97, 95% CI 1.77-2.20 Stomach: aOR 1.56, 95% CI 1.51-1.62 Melanoma: aOR 1.50, 95% CI 1.43-1.56 Bones and joints: aOR 1.46, 95% CI 1.28-1.68 Lung and bronchus: aOR 1.35, 95% CI 1.33-1.36 Kidney and renal pelvis: aOR 1.30, 95% CI 1.26-1.34 Men were significantly less likely to have regional-stage diagnoses for larynx and bladder cancers and significantly less likely to have distant metastasis at diagnosis for bladder, anal, and liver cancers.
As for how to address the diagnostic disparities, a personalized approach to preventive care, particularly cancer screening, may encourage better attendance and adherence, said Barreau.
"Rather than simply recommending guideline-based screening, I focus on helping patients understand their individual cancer risk based on genetics, family history, lifestyle, medical history, and other clinical factors," he said. "When people understand why a recommendation applies specifically to them, they are much more likely to follow through."
Viewing cancer screening as an ongoing process, rather than a single test, might also help with adherence.
"The science [underlying cancer testing] is evolving rapidly, and no single screening modality is sufficient for every individual or every cancer," said Barreau. "Our goal is to help primary care physicians navigate that complexity by matching the right screening strategy to the right patient at the right time, with continuous reassessment as both the patient's biology and the evidence evolve."
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Ping
There’s nothing wrong with me, I ain’t goin to no doctor.
If they would look deeper into the research they would find that the high deaths of men from cancer is a bigger burden on women, because of some reason or reasons.
We’re men. We’re tough. We aren’t wimps. We don’t get cancer!
I guess that falls under “behavioral.”
I had a colleague who was a big tennis player and spent hours outdoors. He got a melanoma on his foot which had been under his footwear and socks! They started amputating, but couldn’t stop the spread and he died from it. He was probably in his mid 60s at the time about 30 years ago. It was so sad...he was a great guy.
“...salivary gland cancers.”
You’ve all read my Tale of Woe while my Dad was dying of this HORRIFIC cancer (it eats your face!) during CovidBS-19. Last time I was able to see him alive was March 12, 2020. He died May 31, 2020...without me by his side - they wouldn’t let me in to see him, even though I got the Clot Shots just to do so!
We had NO idea he even had this, and he was already at Stage Four when he was diagnosed. BIG surgery (they took off his ear, then sewed it back on to get at the cancer), then six weeks of DAILY radiation, and it still only extended his life by a year. And not a GOOD year, not a HAPPY year, mind you.
Yes, it’s sometimes related to smoking, but he died at 83 and had QUIT smoking at age 40 when he ended up in the hospital with Pneumonia. He said it was suddenly more important to him to be able to BREATHE than to smoke one more cigarette.
Kids? Don’t smoke! Don’t vape! Spend your time on your studies, or sports, or hunting and fishing, or volunteering in your community!
I know two men in their 70s (Boomers) who had throat/neck turbo cancer recently. Non-smokers, heteros, and in one case for certain, the doctor told him the cancer originated in the lymph right where they had removed his tonsils when he was a kid in the 1950s... not sure about the other guy. Yeah, God is stupid and doctors are gods, those tonsils don’t do anything, let’s cut them out and make $$$ (tonsils are actually an important first line part of immune system defense). j/s
You have my sincere condolences. How awful. He is at joyful pain-free rest now. :)
Who can even find a primary care physician in Obamacareland? I tried to get a new doctor after 20 years without a visit and not a single place was accepting clients. The closest one was a three hour drive and the wait time was 7 months. I have a few very maladies I want to address but good luck getting treatment. Even pre obamacare the last time I went to a doctor he didn’t even check anything. Just asked what was wrong and wrote a prescription I never bothered to take. If my name were Juan Hernandez from Tegucigalpa with no insurance and illegally here I would have gotten the best medicine at the emergency room for free.
But NO CANCER YET. Not yet, anyway. I will not be surprised one little bit if they tell me I have a form of it one day.
OMGosh, reading your dad’s story is horrifying. So very sorry for his pain and suffering, and for your loss. Hugs, FRiend.
Didn’t realize it was that bad… family member in Cali said she is waiting 10 months to see dr about hip replacement, but I thought that was just a Kaiser problem.
Obamacare is an abomination, and so is its namesake.
Thank you. He is. I’m grateful for that. :)
Thanks so much. :)
I finally went last October after several years, and only then was it to remove a growth on my neck that was non-cancerous. My I am the same as you. I made an apointment was to get a referral for sleep apnea and the doctor ordered all the blood work.
Turned out my PSA level was at 35 and a month later the biopsy showed prostate cancer. I had surgery on May 5, and was rated as stage 3. Doctor said 3-6 more months and it would most likely have spread through my body.
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