SynthesisDisease markers2018
The Association of Digit Ratio (2D : 4D) with Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in Disease markers, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Second-To-Fourth Digit Ratio (2D:4D) in Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review.American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council · 2026Pooled it
- Digit ratio (2D:4D) and transgender identity: new original data and a meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2020Pooled it
- Association between digit ratio (2D:4D) and right-left difference in 2D:4D ratio with breast cancer risk: multicentre case-control study from India.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Evaluation of digit ratio (2D:4D) and its relationship with skin sebum level in patients with basal cell carcinoma.Archives of dermatological research · 2025Article
- Twin testosterone transfer hypothesis and the second-to-fourth digit ratio in females of same-sex and opposite-sex twin pairs: An exploratory study.Physiological reports · 2025Article
- Prenatal exposure to air pollutants and the second to fourth digit ratio in adult women.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Evaluation of digit ratio (2D:4D) in breast cancer patients.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Investigating the relationship between prenatal androgen exposure and sleep quality: a comprehensive study using anthropometric measurements, questionnaires, actigraphy, and polysomnography.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2024Article
- Digit ratio (2D:4D), laryngeal cancer and vocal fold leukoplakia.Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology · 2023Article
- Are the digit ratio (2D:4D) and hand grip strength related to Parkinson disease in elderly males?BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2023Article
- The association of prenatal amniotic sex hormones and digit ratio (2D:4D) in children aged 5 to 70 months: A longitudinal study.PloS one · 2023Article
- Associations between bio-motor ability, endocrine markers and hand-specific anthropometrics in elite female futsal players: a pilot study.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2022Article
- Giving science the finger-is the second-to-fourth digit ratio (2D:4D) a biomarker of good luck? A cross sectional study.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2021Article
- Digit ratio, a proposed marker of the prenatal hormone environment, is not associated with prenatal sex steroids, anogenital distance, or gender-typed play behavior in preschool age children.Journal of developmental origins of health and disease · 2021Article
- Investigating the reliability and sex differences of digit lengths, ratios, and hand measures in infants.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Associations Between Cytochrome P450 (CYP) Gene Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms and Second-to-Fourth Digit Ratio in Chinese University Students.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2021Article
- Discovering Biomarkers in Peritoneal Metastasis of Gastric Cancer by Metabolomics.OncoTargets and therapy · 2020Article
- Ethnic and age differences in right-left breast asymmetry in a large population-based screening population.The British journal of radiology · 2020Article
- Beyond Human Perception: Sexual Dimorphism in Hand and Wrist Radiographs Is Discernible by a Deep Learning Model.Journal of digital imaging · 2019Article
- Second-to-fourth digit ratio and seborrheic dermatitis in males: a cross-sectional study.Anais brasileiros de dermatologia · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveIntrauterine sex hormone environment as indicated by the second to the fourth digit ratio (2D : 4D) can be associated with cancer risk. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the association of 2D : 4D with cancer diagnosis, malignancy, and age at presentation.
methodsStudies that evaluated the association of 2D : 4D with cancer risk were collected from Pubmed/MEDLINE and Clarivate Analytics databases. Nineteen studies were included in the qualitative analysis.
resultsThe 2D : 4D ratio was studied in prostate cancer, breast cancer, testicular cancer, gastric cancer, oral cancer, brain tumors, and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. Low 2D : 4D was associated with prostate cancer, gastric cancer, and brain tumors, while high 2D : 4D, with breast cancer risk and cervical dysplasia. The 2D : 4D ratio was not associated with prostate, breast, and gastric cancer stage. Greater 2D : 4D ratio was associated with younger presentation of breast cancer and brain tumors. The meta-analyses demonstrated that testicular cancer was not associated with right-hand 2D : 4D ratio (
conclusionsSex hormone environment during early development is associated with cancer risk later in life. Further studies exploring the link between intrauterine hormone environment and cancer risk are encouraged.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.