Dong-Ho Mun1, Shoji Kimura1,2, Shahrokh F Shariat1,3,4,5,6, Mohammad Abufaraj1,7. 1. Department of Urology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. 2. Department of Urology Jikei University School of Medicine Tokyo, Japan. 3. Department of Urology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York. 4. Department of Urology, Southwestern Medical Center, University of Texas, Dallas, Texas, USA. 5. Karl Landsteiner Institute of Urology and Andrology, Vienna, Austria. 6. Institute for Urology and Reproductive Health, Sechenov University, Moscow, Russia. 7. Department of Special Surgery, Division of Urology, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this article is to review the current literature on the impact of gender on oncologic outcomes of bladder cancer (BCa). RECENT FINDINGS: Women are more likely to experience disease recurrence, progression, and/or death across all disease states. Furthermore, women are less likely to respond to intravesical therapy for nonmuscle invasive BCa. These disparities are explained by several hypotheses such as differential exposure to environmental carcinogens, hormonal factors, and/or disease management. Additionally, it has been shown that women suffer from delays in diagnosis because of inefficiencies in healthcare delivery. On genomic analyses, women were found to be more likely to harbor basal subtypes of BCa compared with men. SUMMARY: A steadily growing body of evidence reveals that women present with more advanced BCa and have stage-for-stage worse outcome compared with men. The underlying mechanisms for this gender difference are multifactorial. Further studies are needed to elucidate the molecular underpinning of this gender-gap and subsequently explore potential novel gender-specific management strategies.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this article is to review the current literature on the impact of gender on oncologic outcomes of bladder cancer (BCa). RECENT FINDINGS:Women are more likely to experience disease recurrence, progression, and/or death across all disease states. Furthermore, women are less likely to respond to intravesical therapy for nonmuscle invasive BCa. These disparities are explained by several hypotheses such as differential exposure to environmental carcinogens, hormonal factors, and/or disease management. Additionally, it has been shown that women suffer from delays in diagnosis because of inefficiencies in healthcare delivery. On genomic analyses, women were found to be more likely to harbor basal subtypes of BCa compared with men. SUMMARY: A steadily growing body of evidence reveals that women present with more advanced BCa and have stage-for-stage worse outcome compared with men. The underlying mechanisms for this gender difference are multifactorial. Further studies are needed to elucidate the molecular underpinning of this gender-gap and subsequently explore potential novel gender-specific management strategies.