LGBTQ+ patients share their experiences with cancer treatment

Cancer patients who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or other sexual and sexual minorities (LGBTQ+) report higher satisfaction when receiving care in a welcoming environment. The research results were published. cancer.

To assess the experiences of LGBTQ+ cancer patients, researchers surveyed 3,750 patients. The survey consisted of 120 quantitative and qualitative questions.

The mean age of the patients was 59 years (range, 18-91 years). The most common cancers were prostate cancer (14.8%), breast cancer (13.3%), skin cancer (11.7%), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (6.6%), colorectal cancer (6.3%), and anal cancer ( 5%).

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Most patients identified as male (61.6%) or female (31.7%), but 3.9% identified as genderqueer/gender nonbinary, 1.6% identified as transgender; 1.4% identified as intersex, 0.7% reported having an alternative gender identity, and 0.5% reported having an alternative gender identity. They said they did not want to share their identity.

Patients’ sexual orientation was gay (57.2%), lesbian (24.2%), bisexual/pansexual (6.7%), queer (2.1%), asexual (0.6%), and heterosexual (0.3%). , and another sexual orientation (0.5%). or one or more orientations (8.9%).

Most patients (74.9%) reported that their cancer care environment was welcoming of LGBTQ+ patients, but few patients (10.5%) said there were visible indicators of welcoming LGBTQ+ patients. Approximately half of patients (51.2%) reported that their cancer care provider was culturally competent in caring for sexual and gender minorities.

The majority of patients (96.1%) said they felt safe disclosing their identity as a sexual/sexual minority to their care team, and most patients (95.0%) said they felt safe disclosing their identity as a sexual/sexual minority reported that they felt the care environment remained welcoming or more welcoming after receiving treatment.

Most patients (70.6%) stated that they were somewhat or very satisfied with their cancer treatment. In an adjusted analysis of patients who responded to the entire survey (n=1283), patients were more likely to report being satisfied with their cancer treatment if they:

• Cancer diagnosis was communicated respectfully (adjusted odds ratio) [aOR]2.14; 95% CI, 1.54-1.76)
• Received treatment in a welcoming environment for LGBTQ+ patients (aOR, 6.25; 95% CI, 4.25-8.85)
• were treated by a provider who was culturally competent in the care of sexual and sexual minorities (aOR, 2.16; 95% CI, 1.48-3.17);

“[T]His study is the first attempt to characterize the experience and outcomes of SGM. [sexual and gender minority] cancer patients,” the researchers wrote. “Additional research can begin to address the disparities faced by SGM patients across the cancer continuum and advance the cause of health equity for patients with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities.”

Disclosure: One of the study authors declared an affiliation with Bristol-Myers Squibb. Please see the original reference material for full disclosure information.

reference

Kamen CS, Gada U, Lyary R, ​​Scout NFN. Satisfaction with care, general health, and mental health among sexual and gender minority cancer survivors: Results from the OUT National Cancer Survey. cancer. Published online on December 20, 2023. doi:10.1002/cncr.35164