Author information
1Center of Genomics and Policy, Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0G1, Canada.
2Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD 20850, USA.
3Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0G1, Canada.
4Department of Genomics & Computational Biology, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK.
5Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada.
Abstract
Background: Sex and gender are vitally important in the study of epigenetic mechanisms for various types of cancer. However, little has been done to assess the state of sex and gender-based analyses (SGBA) in this field. The aim was to undertake a critical evaluation of sex and gender representation, discussion, and data analysis within the cancer epigenetics field since 2010. Methods: A PRISMA-ScR scoping review was conducted with 111 peer-reviewed studies comprising of colorectal, gastric, head and neck, hepatocellular carcinoma, and lung cancers. Data extraction and a quality appraisal were performed by a team of epidemiologists and bioethicists. Results: Of the 111 included studies, only 17 studies (15.3%) explicitly stated sex and gender analysis to be their primary aim. A total of 103 studies (92.8%) provided a detailed analysis of sex/gender as a biological or social variable, while the remaining 8 studies (7.2%) only stratified results by sex/gender. Although sex and gender were a key facet in all the eligible studies, only 7 studies (6.3%) provided an explicit definition of the terms "sex" or "gender", while the remaining 104 studies (93.7%) used the words "sex" or "gender" without providing a definition. A total of 84 studies (75.7%) conflated the concepts of "sex" and "gender", while 44 studies (39.6%) were inconsistent with their usage of the "sex" and "gender" terms. Conclusions: Very few studies offered a robust analysis of sex/gender data according to SAGER guidelines. We call for clear and directed guidelines regarding the use of sex/gender as a variable in epigenetics research.