Fig. 3
Sex differences in senescence and SASP may contribute to the increasing sex disparity in cancer incidence with age. a Cancer incidence increases more steeply in males than in females with age, according to SEER explorer data from 2012–2016266. b Sex differences in cell cycle regulators, metabolism, and epigenetics can all result in sex differences in senescence activation and SASP. Senescence induction can decrease the risk of transformation in damaged or aged cells, whereas SASP can have both anti-tumorigenic and pro-tumorigenic consequences on the aging tissue. In this way, sex differences in senescence and SASP may contribute to the observed age and sex effects on cancer