A recent study suggests that men are much more likely to die from majority of specific types of cancer than women in the United States.

U.S. researchers from National Cancer Institute cancer epidemiology and genetics division used survival data and vital rates for 36 types of cancer to determine whether survival and mortality rates from cancer differ with gender.

The research found that mortality rates from mouth cancer have the largest gender gap with deaths in 5.51 men for every woman. It is followed by laryngeal cancer at 5.37, hypoparyngeal cancer at 4.47 and esophageal cancer at 4.08.

Also, more men than women die from cancers with high overall mortality rates such as lung cancer with 2.31 deaths in men for every woman, as well as colorectal caner with 1.42 deaths in men for every woman.

Meanwhile, the study showed that there are 1.37 men for every woman who dies from pancreatic cancer, 1.75 for leukemia and 2.23 for liver cancer.

According to the researchers, it was not easy to identify what really caused the gap in gender. But, they cited various tumor behaviors, including disparities in the regularity of medical examinations. For example, men in the United States are more likely than women to be diagnosed with cancer at an advanced stage.

Michael B. Cook, researcher at the National Cancer Institute, said the research suggests that frequency of cancer diagnosis is the main factor that drives the larger rates of cancer mortality in men, instead of poorer survival once the disease occurs.

Roche Holding AG gave an upbeat statement about the possibility of Avastin getting an approval to be a key drug for ovarian cancer.

Pascal Soriot, the company’s pharma head, said that they are absolutely confident that Avastin will be approved in Europe and they are also positive that it will be approved for the US market.

The sales of Avastin have fallen dramatically over the past few months since healthcare authorities that its use in breast cancer be curbed. Avastin is currently used to cure a range of tumors.

Now, Roche is banking on the use of Avastin – their multibillion dollar seller drug – to focus on the treatment of ovarian cancer. They are hoping that the shift in drug use will drive massive sales for their company in the future. The company has already filed for approval in Europe and as soon as they get an overall survival data, they will also seek approval in the US.

Moreover, Roche will also present partial data on MetMab in the treatment of lung cancer. They are also trying to develop the drug to treat other diseases like breast cancer.

Physicians and other investors are also looking in to studying vemurafenib to treat skin cancer. Soriot admitted that the commercial possibilities for the drug are still low because of the limited cases of skin cancer. However, should the drug be developed for treating other kinds of cancer the sales may also go up.

A study conducted by the US National Cancer Institute confirms that the likelihood of developing a second cancer after radiation therapy is very low. The long-term study of about 600,000 cancer survivors showed that only 8 per cent of that population developed secondary cancer due to radiation therapy.

The researchers said that among many others, lifestyle and genetic risks are the ones that would likely pre-empt a second cancer.

Amy Berrington de Gonzales, lead researcher, said that the result of the study is a very powerful tool physicians may use to device a treatment plan for their patients. She further said that patients can now be assured that the benefits of undergoing radiation therapy outweigh its risks.

This is the first ever study that was able to quantify the risks that radiation treatment may cause.  It was published 30^th of March online on The Lancet Oncology.

The research was conducted for 30 years on many different kinds of cancer. Among them are prostate, breast, brain, cervical, and lung cancer. Researchers noticed that development of lung cancer also vary from one cancer type to another. For example, they noticed that it is more predominant among breast and cervical cancer patients.

Elizabeth Ward acknowledges the fact that radiation therapy post risks towards cancer patients. However, she is firm on saying that the benefits outweigh the risks. She also said that thanks to recent technology, we are now more successful on preserving healthy cells during radiation therapy.