Gay Men Diagnosed With Cancer at Higher Rates, Researchers Say
Gay Men Diagnosed With Cancer at Higher Rates
JB Reed/Bloomberg
Merck & Co.’s Gardasil vaccine, approved in 2006 for the human papillomavirus that causes cervical cancer in women, also was cleared in December to prevent anal cancer and precancerous lesions.
Merck & Co.’s Gardasil vaccine, approved in 2006 for the human papillomavirus that causes cervical cancer in women, also was cleared in December to prevent anal cancer and precancerous lesions. Photographer: JB Reed/Bloomberg
Gay men get cancer almost twice as often as heterosexual men, and lesbian and bisexual women who are cancer survivors reported being less healthy than heterosexual women who had the disease.
The greater prevalence of cancer among gay men may be caused by an excess risk of anal cancer, and may also reflect the higher rate of HIV infection, which is linked to certain tumors, according to the report in the journal Cancer.
The results show the greatest need for intervention is in prevention and detection in gay men, according to the study authors. In addition, lesbian and bisexual cancer survivors should be targeted to improve their health outcomes.
“We want to really inform physicians who treat gay, lesbian and bisexual populations to focus on cancer screening,” said the study’s lead author, Ulrike Boehmer, an associate professor at Boston University’s School for Public Health, in a telephone interview.
Merck & Co.’s Gardasil vaccine, approved in 2006 for the human papillomavirus that causes cervical cancer in women, also was cleared in December to prevent anal cancer and precancerous lesions.
California Data
The study used data from the California Health Interview Survey from 2001, 2003, and 2005. A total of 7,252 women and 3,690 men reported cancer diagnoses as adults.
Of the 51,000 men surveyed, 5 percent of straight men were diagnosed with cancer, compared with 8.3 percent of gay men. The rates didn’t differ significantly by sexual orientation among the 71,000 women included in the survey.
Among the female cancer survivors, 73 percent of heterosexual women reported excellent, very good, or good health. In lesbian women, that number was 66 percent, and in bisexual women, 60 percent, according to the study.
The lesbian and bisexual women may be reporting worse outcomes because they have less family support, Boehmer said. The women also generally report worse health than heterosexual peers in general, she said. There are also differences in smoking rates and use of alcohol between heterosexual and homosexual populations, she said.
“This is of course a particular area of study because we don’t know what it means,” Boehmer said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Elizabeth Lopatto in New York at elopatto@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Reg Gale at rgale5@bloomberg.net.
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