Cancer survivors who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or anything other than straight and cisgender (LGBTQ+) experience more chronic health conditions, disabilities, and other physical and cognitive limitations than non-LGBTQ+ cancer survivors; however, the prevalence of most conditions was highest among transgender or gender non-conforming (TGNC) individuals. Prior research shows cancer survivors are more likely to have chronic diseases such as diabetes, kidney disease , liver disease, COPD, and heart disease compared to those who have never been diagnosed with cancer. Meanwhile, LGBTQ+ individuals, who represent about 7.
1% of the U.S. population, have been found to face health disparities due to stigma and other social determinants of health.
But few national samples that differentiate between cisgender and transgender identities have been used to study disparities among LGBTQ+ cancer survivors for chronic health conditions, according to Waters. Austin R. Waters, MSPH, a doctoral candidate in health policy and management at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and colleagues used data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a phone survey system managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, collected in 2020, 2021, or 2022 from 23 states that administered questionnaires about sexual orientation and gender identity as well as cancer survivorship.
The findings are published in t.
