Men make up just 5% of people getting genetic tests for inherited cancer risks despite dying from cancer at higher rates than women, new research shows. Analysis of more than 224,000 tests revealed men who do get screened face much higher odds of carrying dangerous genetic mutations, with positive results hitting 14% versus 8% for women.
The gap represents a major blind spot in cancer prevention. Genetic screening spots inherited vulnerabilities to breast, ovarian, prostate, and colon cancers, letting doctors track high-risk patients and step in early. Women benefit from widespread protocols urging doctors to evaluate hereditary breast and ovarian cancer factors during routine care. Similar systems cover other inherited cancer syndromes in women. Men largely miss out on these frameworks.
Lab records from June 2020 through August 2023 showed men getting tested averaged 54 years old versus 43 for women. Male patients were seven times likelier to undergo screening only after a family member tested positive for harmful mutations. Personal cancer histories appeared in 27% of male cases compared to 13% of female cases, pointing to testing that happens after diagnosis instead of for prevention.
How patients reached testing varied sharply by gender. Primary care and general medicine referred most men, while women’s health clinics handled most female referrals. Male patients received large panels covering multiple cancer types at rates three to four times higher than women.
Prostate, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers showed up most often in men with personal cancer histories.
Harmful BRCA1/2 mutations appeared in men three times more frequently than in women. Those genes affect cancer risk across several types and influence treatment choices. Clinical records showed 35% of men testing positive had prior cancer diagnoses versus 19% of women. Male positive rates hit 14%, well above the 5% baseline in general populations, showing tests happen mainly when dangers already loom large.
Low male testing stems from multiple causes. Men use preventive healthcare less and avoid seeking medical help more than women. Healthcare lacks specific screening guidelines for male hereditary cancer risks. Risk calculators for BRCA mutations were built around female patients and likely overlook men who need testing, especially those with prostate cancer.
Males carrying harmful BRCA mutations also skip genetic counseling more often despite risks to themselves and relatives like daughters facing breast and ovarian cancer threats.
Scientists urge building better risk tools focused on men, finding what blocks genetic counseling and preventive care access, and weaving hereditary cancer screening into standard primary care for male patients. The analysis covered a large U.S. dataset but faced limits including possible memory errors in family health histories and information from only one commercial lab.
Bridging this divide could boost cancer survival by catching disease earlier. Men currently get tested late in illness rather than beforehand, losing chances to detect cancer early or stop it entirely through monitoring and risk-cutting steps.
As entities like CNS Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CNSP) hit their milestones in efforts to commercialize novel therapies indicated for various malignancies, it would be of great help if individuals who are at a higher risk of developing these cancers are identified early and tracked so that these new treatments can be administered during the early stages of the disease. This will increase the odds of successful treatment.
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