LGBTQ+ Patients Share Their Experiences With Cancer Care

Cancer patients who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or other sexual and gender minorities (LGBTQ+) report higher rates of satisfaction if they receive care in a welcoming environment, according to a study published in Cancer.

To evaluate the experiences of LGBTQ+ patients with cancer, researchers surveyed 3750 patients. The survey consisted of 120 quantitative and qualitative questions.

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

Most patients identified as male (61.6%) or female (31.7%), but 3.9% identified as gender queer/gender nonbinary, 1.6% identified as transgender, 1.4% identified as intersex, 0.7% reported having another gender identity, and 0.5% said they preferred not to share their identity.

Patients’ sexual orientations were gay (57.2%), lesbian (24.2%), bisexual/pansexual (6.7%), queer (2.1%), asexual (0.6%), straight (0.3%), another orientation (0.5%), or more than 1 orientation (8.9%).

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

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

Most patients (70.6%) said they were somewhat or very satisfied with their cancer care. In an adjusted analysis of patients who completed the entire survey (n=1283), patients were more likely to report satisfaction with their cancer care if they:

• Had their cancer diagnosis delivered in a respectful manner (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.14; 95% CI, 1.54-1.76)
• Received care in an environment that was welcoming to LGBTQ+ patients (aOR, 6.25; 95% CI, 4.25-8.85)
• Were treated by providers who were culturally competent in caring for sexual and gender minorities (aOR, 2.16; 95% CI, 1.48-3.17).

“[T]his survey is an initial attempt to characterize the experiences and outcomes of SGM [sexual and gender minority] patients with cancer,” the researchers wrote. “With additional research, we can begin to address the disparities confronted by SGM patients across the cancer continuum and advance the cause of health equity for patients who are diverse in their sexual orientations and gender identities.”

Disclosures: One of the study authors declared an affiliation with Bristol Myers Squibb. Please see the original reference for complete disclosure information.

Reference

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

This article originally appeared on Cancer Therapy Advisor