The biological behavior of tumors in female patients with colon cancer is different from that in male patients

The occurrence of colon cancer is a complex pathological process of multi-factor interaction. The most common histological type of colon cancer is tubular adenocarcinoma, which accounts for 66.9% to 82.1% of all colorectal cancers. Other pathological types include papillary adenocarcinoma, mucinous cell carcinoma, signet ring cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and adenosquamous carcinoma. The metastasis of colon cancer is mainly lymph node metastasis, which can cause enlargement of lymph nodes (such as abdominal and pelvic lymph nodes) at the metastatic site. Hematogenous metastasis often occurs in the late stage, and metastasis to the liver is the most common.

However, based on the differences in physiological conditions between sexes, some tumor biological behaviors in female patients with colon cancer also show gender specificity. For example, female patients have a lower chance of liver metastasis than male patients, which may be closely related to the estrogen level in the patient's body. Other studies have shown that the higher the expression of estrogen receptor (ER) in tumor tissue, the better the patient's prognosis. Premenopausal female patients are more likely to have ovarian metastasis, which may be related to the rich lymphatic and blood circulation of the premenopausal ovaries, which is suitable for the growth of metastatic cancer. In addition, data show that age ≤50 years old, poor tumor differentiation and tumor invasion of the serosa are three high-risk factors indicating the possibility of ovarian metastasis.

Therefore, in addition to accurately evaluating indicators that reflect the malignancy of the tumor, such as the degree of tumor differentiation, the number of lymph node metastases, and clinical staging, attention should also be paid to the different physiological states of different gender groups of colon cancer patients, which will help evaluate the patient's condition, prognosis, and guide clinical treatment.