Most LGBTQI+ patients with cancer lack access to tailored health education materials
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Although the majority of LGBTQI+ cancer survivors reported satisfaction with their overall cancer care, most reported they did not have access to tailored health education materials, according to study results.
The findings, presented during American Association for Cancer Research Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved, specifically showed 70% of respondents reported a lack of access to any mental health resource specific to their LGBTQI+ identities during their cancer care.
Background
Research is scarce in the area of LGBTQI+ individuals with cancer, Colin Burnett, MSc, a medical student at T.H. Chan School of Medicine at UMass Chan Medical School, told Healio.
“More specifically, as we advance our knowledge of cancer therapeutics and the population of LGBTQI+ cancer survivors grows, it is becoming more important that medical providers gain insight into the experiences of LGBTQI+ persons with cancer and the ways in which their experiences differ from those of other populations,” he said.
The study included 2,500 LGBTQI+ cancer survivors who between 2020 and 2021 completed the “OUT: National Cancer Survey,” which classified survivors by their self-reported level of satisfaction with their overall cancer care.
Burnett and colleagues assessed patient care satisfaction related to access to LGBTQI+-tailored health education resources and the influence of gender identity and/or sexual orientation on survivors’ experiences before, during and after cancer treatment.
Findings
Results showed 92% of respondents expressed satisfaction with their cancer care.
Among the 3% of responders who reported feeling unsafe sharing their LGBTQI+ identities with health care providers, 38% were less than satisfied with their cancer care vs. 3% of those who reported feeling safe in sharing their identity, according to a press release.
Researchers found that despite the high level of satisfaction in their overall cancer care, 70% of cancer survivors reported a lack of access to at least one vital health education resource specific to their LGBTQI+ identities, and 56% reported a desire for information specific to LGBTQI+ individuals in care plans after treatment, according to the release.
“Very few LGBTQI+ cancer survivors report ever having access to health education materials tailored to their LGBTQI+-identities, specifically in areas of physical activity, mental health, alcohol use and tobacco cessation, regardless of whether they were satisfied with their overall cancer care,” Burnett said.
Implications
Researchers hope to better characterize some of the more specific experiences of LGBTQI+ individuals during cancer treatment and survivorship, Burnett said.
“We want to understand what contributes to patient’s willingness to share their LGBTQI+ identities with providers and what they want to see providers do with this information to better contextualize the cancer care they receive,” he said. “Oncologists should be encouraged to work with their institutions to develop educational health resources specific to LGBTQI+ patients. My research focuses on the accessibility of specific health topics to LGBTQI+ cancer survivors, but having more resources tailored specifically to the experiences shared by LGBTQI+ patients in any area may help patients feel that their sexual orientation and/or gender identity are taken into unique consideration when providing care. With more resources illustrating LGBTQI+ people and their needs, these patients will hopefully feel more visible among their provider teams.”
References
- Burnett C, et al. Overall satisfaction with cancer care among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex survivors. Presented at: American Association for Cancer Research Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; Sept. 16-19, 2022; Philadelphia.
- Most LGBTQI+ cancer patients lack resources tailored to gender/sexual identity (press release). Available at: www.aacr.org/about-the-aacr/newsroom/news-releases/most-lgbtqi-cancer-patients-lack-resources-tailored-to-gender-sexual-identity/. Published Sept. 16, 2022. Accessed Sept. 19, 2022.
Collapse
Burnett C, et al. Overall satisfaction with cancer care among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex survivors. Presented at: American Association for Cancer Research Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; Sept. 16-19, 2022; Philadelphia.
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