USC Health Now

Q: I’ve heard hormones may play a role in colon cancer. Is this true?

A: There is growing evidence that female hormones are protective for colon cancer, according to a recent study by USC researchers. The study, which looked at factors impacting overall survival in metastatic colorectal cancer patients, found that pre-menopausal women with metastatic colorectal cancer (18-44 years old) lived longer than younger men, while older women (75 and older) had significantly worse overall survival than older men. “This study provides further evidence that estrogen may play an important role not only in colon cancer development but also progression of the disease, and may impact how we develop therapies for women and men with colon cancer,” says Heinz-Josef Lenz, M.D., professor of medicine at the Keck School of Medicine and a senior investigator on the study. The study also found that certain ethnicities had better overall survival than others. Namely, Hispanics and Asians have better outcomes than Caucasians and African-Americans. The researchers say the data warrant further studies to determine the role of estrogen and ethnicity in colorectal cancer development.