The role of the Y chromosome in cancer outcomes studied

Two studies have shed light on the role of the Y chromosome in cancer outcomes, in which males are often more adversely affected than females. One paper identified an upregulated gene on the Y chromosome that contributes to colorectal cancer in mice by driving tumour invasion and aiding immune escape in males. The other study demonstrated how the loss of the Y chromosome in bladder cancer generates a more immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment and contributes to worse outcomes. In the other study, Dan Theodorescu from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles and colleagues investigated how the loss of the Y chromosome might affect cancer outcomes. Then they studied bladder cancer cell lines and found that tumours lacking the Y chromosome were more aggressive and had a dampened T cell-mediated immune response compared with tumours which had the Y chromosomes intact.