Disparities in cancer incidence and stage at diagnosis between male and female patients in the Netherlands

Abstract

We investigated how sex differences in incidence of cancer and stage at diagnosis manifest across age groups. A retrospective cohort study was performed based on data from the Netherlands Cancer Registry (NCR). Adult patients diagnosed with one of the top 10 not-sex-specific cancers in the Netherlands between 2017 and 2022 were included. Tumour incidence and stage at diagnosis were analysed using age-standardized and sex-specific incidence rate ratios (IRR), with 95 % confidence intervals. The 10 most frequent cancers affected 194,304 patients of which 43 % were female. Median age at diagnosis was 72 years for males and 71 years for females. Incidence rate ratios showed no difference between sexes aged 18–49 (IRR=1.00), but higher rates in males aged 50–69 (IRR=1.34) and ≥ 70 (IRR=1.76). Largest IRR differences (IRR>3.00) were observed for bladder, urinary tract cancers, and oesophageal cancers. Stage IV was the most frequent stage overall, particularly for lung, pancreatic, and oesophageal cancers, though this varied by cancer type. Males were diagnosed at more advanced stages, especially for oesophageal and head and neck cancers. Bladder cancer was mainly stage 0, melanoma stage I, and colorectal cancer stage III in males and stage I in females. Our study showed sex- and age-specific differences in cancer incidence and stage at diagnosis, with males showing higher incidence rates. Males were also diagnosed at more advanced stage. These findings underline the importance of taking both sex and age into account in cancer prevention and early detection strategies.