Gay men more likely to have Cancer

 A new study found that gay men are twice as likely that the other men were diagnosed with and then survive cancer, shines a light on unique medical risks that homosexuals can face.

It is not the first time that researchers have found differences in the risks to health related to sexual orientation. Gay men, of course, more are at risk of HIV infection, while lesbians may be more likely than heterosexual women for breast cancer. Gays and lesbians have more high rates of tobacco use than the general population, and research has shown that lesbian drink more and are more prone to obesity than other women.

The new study adds to existing knowledge, but "there is a painful lack of data on the health of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people in General," notes Liz Margolies, Executive Director of the network of Cancer LGBT National, who is familiar with the new research.

In the new study, published May 9 online in Cancer, researchers have investigated investigations involving more than 122,000 California residents in 2001, 2003 and 2005. Among other things, the investigation posed a sexual orientation and whether participants had never received a diagnosis of cancer.

Approximately 8% of gay men in the group reported having had cancer - almost double the rate among heterosexual men and bisexuals surveyed.

Lesbian did not have a higher rate of cancer than other women, but lesbian cancer survivors were about twice as likely to report that they had fair health or bad compared to heterosexual women.

The study could not be said if gays and lesbians are more likely to develop cancer in the first place, since it does not include people who died of disease or may be too ill to answer questionssays the author of the study Ulrike Boehmer, Associate Professor of community health at Boston University School of Public Health sciences.

Experts already believe that gay men are facing a higher risk of anal, lung cancers testes and the immune system, said. For their part, lesbians would eventually be at higher risk of breast cancer, perhaps because many of them give birth.

But statistical farms are hard to find. "I can't you if we have an increase in the rate of lung cancer, because none of the national cancer registries do collect information about sexual orientation," said Margolies. "We are left hidden in these data, which are essential for us to have." We know that white women are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer of the breast and black women more likely to die. It is important to know, and we need to know similar things, we can get funding and establish programs to meet our needs.

While things change, she added another challenge for a long time for gays was an atmosphere low allowing in many medical offices. "Until we can guarantee an experience safe, respectful and welcoming, we will not appear," said.