Sex disparities in cancer

Sex is a key biological factor affecting the development of many cancer types. There are considerable differences between male and female subpopulations in terms of cancer incidence, prognosis and mortality. Recent studies have extensively characterized the sex-biased molecular changes in cancer patients. Further efforts should be made to develop sex-specific cancer prevention and therapeutic strategies. •Considerable differences between male and female subpopulations in cancer incidence, prognosis and mortality.•There are two groups of cancer types in terms of sex effects on molecular features.•Key sex-biased genes include those related to immune, metabolism, DNA repair, and sex chromosome.