Chemical toxicity by sex differences: a literature review of 2019–2023 studies

While differences in cancer incidence between the two sexes/genders are often explained by differences in environmental exposure or the influence of sex hormones, there is little research on intrinsic differences in sensitivity to chemical carcinogens. This review summarizes the literature obtained by searching the papers used in most research for the necessary data, including PubMed, specifically for the last 5 years 2019–2023. The search was performed using the key terms “chemical”, “toxicity”, “gender”, and “sex differences”, and “cancer” or “disease”.

Based on the literature data, over 80 potential articles were found. A total of 28 papers that satisfied the inclusion criteria were selected for detailed analysis. While some sex differences in cancer occur through the action of circulating sex hormones, other sex differences are unrelated to estrogen, testosterone, or progesterone levels. Globally, sex differences in tumor incidence and mortality are evident across a wide range of age groups.