Doctors Say Women Should Be More Proactive at Managing Side Effects, Men Should Be Proactive About Treatment Earlier
- Women with cancer tend to live longer than men, according to a large study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, where more than 20,000 patients were examined.
- The study adds that although women cancer patients tend to see a lower risk of death (21%) compared to men, they also face a 12% higher risk of severe treatment side effects.
- Experts speaking with SurvivorNet say women should use this information to push for more meaningful side-effect management as part of their overall treatment plan. Men, given their poorer survival odds, should take a more proactive approach to seek treatment sooner.
- “Survival and suffering are not mutually exclusive [among the sexes],” says Dr. Brooke Worster, Professor and Enterprise Director of Supportive Oncology at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center.
- Experts say these findings highlight important biological differences in how men and women respond to cancer and its treatments, and underscore the need to understand why men have poorer outcomes.
- “We need to assess gender‑based risks of treatment‑related side effects so we can better support women through proactive management and dosing, and individualized care plans may also help improve the higher mortality rates seen in men.” Dr. Neil Iyengar from Emory Winship Cancer Institute tells SurvivorNet.
Experts speaking with SurvivorNet say a key takeaway from this study is that women should use this information to push for more meaningful side-effect management as part of their overall treatment plan.
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Experts speaking with SurvivorNet surmise that the study should provide added encouragement for women to push for meaningful side-effect management as part of their overall treatment plan.
The findings come from 39 Phase II and III clinical trials involving 20,806 people with advanced cancers across 12 tumor types, including colorectal, lung, kidney, and thyroid cancers.
Across most of these cancers, women consistently showed better overall survival (OS) and progression‑free survival (PFS) than men, meaning the amount of time after starting treatment that a person lives without their cancer getting worse.
Researchers note that sex appears to be an important factor in cancer outcomes, though results can vary by cancer type and individual patient.
The study also highlights the need to better understand why men tend to have poorer outcomes, whether due to biological differences, lifestyle factors, or how they respond to treatment.
“The fact that women lived longer despite having more side effects shows there are meaningful biological differences in how treatments work,” says Dr. Lindsay Peterson, a medical oncologist at WashU Medicine and leader of the survivorship program at Siteman Cancer Center.
“But these findings don’t predict what will happen for any one person. There’s a lot of variation within both sexes,” Dr. Peterson adds.
The research punctuated a point to Dr. Peterson in which sex fundamentally shapes a cancer patient’s journey in different ways.
“For women, I hope this helps them feel empowered to actively advocate for side effect management alongside survival goals; for men, it means taking poorer survival odds seriously and engaging earlier and more aggressively with care,” Dr. Worster said.
Dr. Neil Iyengar, Associate Professor and Co‑director of Breast Medical Oncology and Director of Cancer Survivorship at Emory Winship Cancer Institute, adds that the study underscores the need for more personalized care.
“We need to assess gender‑based risks of treatment‑related side effects so we can better support women through proactive management and dosing,” he says.
He adds that “individualized care plans may also help improve the higher mortality rates seen in men.”
Expert Resources for Cancer Patients
- ‘Research is the Reason Women Are Surviving’
- ‘My Breast Implants Gave Me Cancer!’ Mom Of Three’s Warning To Women
- 5 Things Women Can Do to Reduce Cancer Risk — With Actual Evidence to Back Them Up!
- ‘A Relationship Disease’ — SurvivorNetTV Presents: The Power of Emotional Support For Men Handling Prostate Cancer
- 5 Ways Male Cancer Survivors Can Restore Sexual Function
- Male Menopause and Hot Flashes During Prostate Cancer Treatment: What New Research Means for You
Men Tend to ‘Internalize More’ When It Comes to Health
It’s not uncommon for many men to keep health worries to themselves, and a prostate cancer diagnosis, with its sensitive symptoms, can make opening up even harder.
However, talking about these experiences can make a real difference.
Sharing what you’re going through can help you manage side effects, raise awareness, and reduce stigma. Being open also encourages men to seek support sooner, which can strengthen recovery and improve overall well‑being.
WATCH: Arizona Firefighter Gary Schobel On Rebuilding Intimacy Amid Advanced Prostate Cancer
In SurvivorNet’s 12-part docufilm series, “Men Beating the Odds,” men from all walks of life courageously share how a prostate cancer diagnosis impacts all aspects of their lives, from their profession to their personal relationships.
WATCH: Navigating the Impact of Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer survivor and TODAY co-anchor and weatherman, Al Roker, 71, tells SurvivorNet, “We all tend to internalize this, we don’t talk to much about it,” Roker said, urging: “We NEED to talk about this.”
RELATED: SurvivorNet’s ‘Men Beating the Odds’ Series — Meet the Prostate Cancer Survivors Breaking the Stigma
For prostate cancer, screening saves lives, family history can matter a lot, but you should also understand that leading doctors in the field debate when men actually need screening.
WATCH: If You Have a Family History of Prostate Cancer, Get Screened Early
- The United States Preventive Services Task Force recommends that men at average risk between the ages of 55 and 69 years talk with their doctor about the pros and cons of prostate cancer screening.
- The American Cancer Society recommends that men aged 50 who are at average risk begin screening. Men who are at high risk of prostate cancer should begin screening at age 40. Men with a close relative diagnosed with prostate cancer should consider annual screenings in their 30s.
RELATED: Men Get Breast Cancer Too
Cancer’s Impact on Male Fertility
Cancer treatments like chemotherapy can damage sperm in men, and hormone therapy can decrease sperm production, according to the National Cancer Institute. Radiation treatment can also lead to lower sperm count and testosterone levels, impacting fertility.
WATCH: Dr. Terri Woodard explains fertility preservation options patients have when going through cancer treatment.
Possible side effects of cancer treatment should be discussed with your doctor before starting treatment. Men may have the option to store their sperm in a sperm bank before treatment to preserve their fertility.
This sperm can then be used later as part of in vitro fertilization (IVF).
‘This Can Be Life-Changing In the Best Way: Women Advocating for Themselves
Many cancers, such as lung and colorectal cancer, affect men and women in similar numbers. But just as men face certain cancers more often, like the aforementioned prostate cancer, women also have cancers that uniquely impact them, including breast, ovarian, and endometrial cancers.
WATCH: A Symbol of Beauty After Going Through So Much: Breast Cancer Survivors Share The Mementos That Kept Them Going Through Treatment
To help women feel supported through these experiences, SurvivorNet’s Breast Cancer Dialogues brings survivors together to share honest, inspiring stories about treatment decisions, managing side effects, and finding their footing after care.
“Baywatch” star Nicole Eggert, 54, who has been navigating breast cancer since 2023, joined a group of fellow survivors to talk about her cancer journey.
WATCH: ‘I Want to Have the Hard Conversations,’ While Sharing Honest Reflections on Breast Cancer Surgery and Resilience
Eggert hopes her openness helps others shift how they think about life after a diagnosis.
“I want to push forward that this can be life‑changing in the best possible way,” she says.
“I have my weak moments, I have my breakdowns, and I live in a little bit of fear — it could come back. But you begin to live in this space of ‘what if’ and embrace a preventative lifestyle. I want to encourage everyone, with or without cancer, to live that way,” Eggert said.
Cancer Treatment’s Impact on Fertility in Women
Just as cancer treatment can impact men’s fertility, women may also be affected. Some types of chemotherapy can destroy eggs in your ovaries. This can make it impossible or difficult to get pregnant later.
Whether or not chemotherapy makes you infertile depends on the type of drug and your age, since your egg supply decreases with age.
“The risk is greater the older you are,” reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Jaime Knopman told SurvivorNet.
“If you’re 39 and you get chemo that’s toxic to the ovaries, it’s most likely to make you menopausal. But, if you’re 29, your ovaries may recover because they have a higher baseline supply,” Dr. Knopman continued.
Radiation to the pelvis can also destroy eggs. It can damage the uterus, too.
Surgery to your ovaries or uterus can hurt fertility as well.
Meanwhile, endocrine or hormone therapy may block or suppress essential fertility hormones and may prevent a woman from getting pregnant. This infertility may be temporary or permanent, depending on the type and length of treatment.
If you are having a treatment that includes infertility as a possible side effect, your doctor won’t be able to tell you for sure whether you will be impacted. That’s why you should discuss your options for fertility preservation before starting treatment.
Research shows that women who have fertility preserved before breast cancer treatment are more than twice as likely to give birth after treatment than those who don’t take fertility-preserving measures.
Most women who preserve their fertility before cancer treatment do so by freezing their eggs or embryos.
After you finish your cancer treatment, a doctor who specializes in reproductive medicine can implant one or more embryos in your uterus or the uterus of a surrogate with the hope that it will result in pregnancy.
If you freeze eggs only before treatment, a fertility specialist can use sperm and your eggs to create embryos in vitro and transfer them to your uterus or a surrogate later on.
When freezing eggs or embryos is not an option, doctors may try these approaches:
- Ovarian tissue freezing is an experimental approach for girls who haven’t yet reached puberty and don’t have mature eggs or for women who must begin treatment right away and don’t have time to harvest eggs.
- Ovarian suppression prevents the eggs from maturing, so they cannot be damaged during treatment.
- Ovarian transposition, for women getting radiation to the pelvis, moves the ovaries out of the line of treatment.
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