Relation between the changes of oncogene versus tumor suppressor gene interaction and the transition of cancer risk from female dominance through no sex discrimination to male dominance, as investigated by the reciprocal regression analysis of 5 human neoplasias.

Abstract

We have been investigating the mathematical nature of intercancer linkage that underlies the mutual regulation of cancer risks between any 2 tumors in their variations in time and space. Applications of both sequential regression test and topological manipulation of age-adjusted incidence rate (AAIR) data set enabled us to prepare the oncogene (Onc) activation profile and the tumor suppressor gene (TSG) inactivation profile for each tumor. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between the changes of 2 cancer gene profiles and the sex discrimination of cancer risk in 7 human neoplasias. Results obtained are as follows: i) The sex discrimination of cancer risk could better be defined by the use of log-transformed AAIR data rather than of untransformed AAIR data. ii) The sex discrimination of cancer risk, as calculated with the AAIR data of 47 population units of the world, is as follows: a) breast cancer (Br), M:F=1:120.2; b) thyroid cancer (Thy), M:F=1:2. 64; c) colon cancer (Co), M:F=1.18:1; d) liver cancer (Li), M:F=2. 63:1; e) lung cancer (Lu), M:F=3.66:1; f) esophageal cancer (Eso), M:F=3.68:1; g) laryngeal cancer (Lar), M:F=7.26:1. iii) Female-dominant cancers were associated with inversion (Br) or defectiveness (Thy) of male oncogene profile, whereas male-dominant cancers were associated with inversion (Lar) or defectiveness (Li, Lu and Eso) of female Onc profiles. Sex-indifferent cancer, Co, was distinguished from other tumors by the emergence of defectiveness in the TSG profiles of both sexes. TSG defectiveness was also detectable in female (Br, Thy) and bisexual (Lu) tumors. iv) The Onc vs TSG interaction, as assessed in terms of r value of the reciprocal regression analysis, was increasing in its positivity rate from the top of the female-dominant family (Br) through the sex-indifferent tumor (Co) to the bottom of the male-dominant family (Lar). In conclusion, the emergence of sex discrimination of cancer risk was positively correlated to the extent of integrity of oncogene activation in the dominant gender relative to the recessive gender. Findings with 6 sex-discriminant tumors are discussed in their relevancy to tumorigenesis from the point of view of endocrinological epidemiology.