Why More Men Have Liver Cancer? Estrogen Makes the Difference!
July 10, 2007 by Gloria Gamat
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Ever wondered by liver cancer is more prevalent in men than women? Women have estrogen to thank for.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) — a devastating complication of chronic liver disease and inflammation caused by risk factors such as hepatitis B and C viruses, or alcoholic liver disease — makes up the majority of liver cancers in humans.
Overall, men are three to five times more likely to develop HCC than women; however, in individuals who are under 50, HCC is seen seven to 10 times more frequently in men.
The protein called interleukin-6 (IL-6) contributes to the chronic liver inflammation that leads to cancer. Apparently, males produce more IL-6 in response to liver injury. While in females, the production of IL-6 is suppressed by the female hormone estrogen.
These findings, discovered by researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine in mouse studies may lead to the development of new targeted therapies to reduce men’s risk of developing liver cancer.
According to Michael Karin, Ph.D., professor of pharmacology in UCSD’s Laboratory of Gene Regulation and Signal Transduction, who led the study:
“By eliminating IL-6, we reduced the incidence of liver cancer in the males by close to 90%. However, the missing IL-6 made no further difference in female mice.”
The study findings are published in the July 6 issue of the journal Science.
Find more details from the full report.
