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Men develop liver cancer at twice the rate of women in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. Considering that the liver is a non-reproductive organ, this is quite a difference.
A research team led by Dr. Arlin Rogers, an experimental pathologist at MIT, looked at the gender differences in hepatocellular carcinoma, a male-predominant liver cancer that is associated with chronic hepatitis.
It turns out that:
| | Male and female livers are inherently different, with most of the differences arising during puberty when male livers are exposed to periodic bursts of growth hormone. This prompts male livers to express different genes than female livers, which explains why men and women can have different reactions to certain antibiotics and other medications. |
They infected mice (which are a commonly used model for studying human diseases) with a hepatitis-like virus to induce the inflammatory conditions similar to those that lead to liver cancer in humans.
They found that, in response to chronic inflammation, male livers displayed a distinct gene expression profile compared to female livers, and that this unique gene expression pattern contributed to male mice developing liver cancer more frequently.
The researchers also tested the effect of male hormones on liver cancer predisposition:
| | The researchers had expected that castrating male mice at one year of age when they had chronic hepatitis, but not cancer, would have a protective effect. They also gave some mice a powerful androgen to see if that would promote tumors. Neither treatment had any effect, demonstrating that male sex hormones such as testosterone do not directly promote liver cancer in adults. |
Why should you care?
A better understanding of how male and female livers differ may help develop better, more targeted therapies for male-predominant liver cancer. This research could also be relevant to treating other cancers associated with chronic inflammation that are more common in men, such as stomach and colon cancer.
Excerpts taken from here.
Medicine & Health
Comments
Why should you care?
A better understanding of how male and female livers differ may help develop better, more targeted therapies for male-predominant liver cancer. This research could also be relevant to treating other cancers associated with chronic inflammation that are more common in men, such as stomach and colon cancer.
Wow Karen!
Thanks for the info! I never knew there was a difference between the sex's livers. I bet this will start off a lot of further research! Maybe even get to the point where when you go to the doctor for a shot they choose between a blue hypodermic or a pink one for you! LOL!
Thanks again!
Dave Briggs :~)
Posted by: Dave Briggs | January 17, 2008 9:36 AM