Cancer-Related Pain and Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity: An Intersectional Approach.

BACKGROUND

We examined cancer-related pain in sexual and gender minorities (SGM) compared with heterosexual cisgender populations and evaluated sociodemographic factors within SGM and heterosexual cisgender cancer survivors.

METHODS

We combined 2014 to 2023 data of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System from 23 states and Guam that administered the sexual orientation and gender identity module and the pain-specific cancer survivorship module. Our analytic sample consisted of 56,217 cancer survivors, 1,655 of whom identified as SGM.

RESULTS

Sexual minority cancer survivors reported twice or more the prevalence of cancer pain than heterosexual cisgender survivors, with gender minority cancer survivors reporting cancer pain most frequently (28%), followed by sexual minority women (17%), and sexual minority men (14%). Sociodemographic subgroups, consisting of younger, unmarried, not employed, and those with low income, are at increased risk of experiencing cancer pain.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings point to heterogeneity among sexual minority cancer survivors' prevalence of pain and additional efforts to characterize gender minorities' disparities in cancer pain.

IMPACT: There is an urgent need for evidence-based real-life clinical data characterization of SGM cancer pain disparities and efforts to reduce their cancer-related pain. See related In the Spotlight, p. 1236.