REVIEW An integrative view on sex differences in brain tumors

Abstract Sex differences in human health and disease can range from undetectable to profound. Differences in brain tumor rates and outcome are evident in males and females throughout the world and regardless of age. These observations indicate that fundamental aspects of sex de-termination can impact the biology of brain tumors. It is likely that optimal personalized approaches to the treat-ment of male and female brain tumor patients will require recognizing and understanding the ways in which the bi-ology of their tumors can differ. It is our view that sex-specific approaches to brain tumor screening and care will be enhanced by rigorously documenting differences in brain tumor rates and outcomes in males and females, and understanding the developmental and evolutionary origins of sex differences. Here we offer such an integrative per-spective on brain tumors. It is our intent to encourage the consideration of sex differences in clinical and basic sci-entific investigations