When to prostate ncer, 'gay men are erased,' patients say

Contents:

• CANCER FACTS FOR GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN
• WHEN TO PROSTATE NCER, 'GAY MEN ARE ERASED,' PATIENTS SAY
• PROSTATE CANCER HAS 'MORE PROFOUND' IMPACT ON GAY MEN
• CANCER RISKS FOR GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN
• WHEN GAY MEN GET PROSTATE CANCER
• PROSTATE CANCER GAY, BISEXUAL, AND OTHER MEN WHO HAVE SEX WH MEN: A REVIEW
• CANCER RAT SIGNIFINTLY HIGHER GAY MEN, BUT STUDY LACKED DATA ON HIV

CANCER FACTS FOR GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN

Some gay men, pecially those who are HIV posive, might have a higher risk of anal ncer. Rearch suggts that some gay and bisexual men receive ls health re than heterosexual men.

Fear of discrimatn: Some gay and bisexual men don’t tell their health re provirs about their sexual orientatn, bee they worry about discrimatn affectg the qualy of health re they receive. This mak harr for many gay and bisexual men to get qualy health re.

Some evince suggts that gay and bisexual men are much more likely to smoke than heterosexual men. Cancer Screeng Consiratns and Cancer Screeng Uptake for Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgenr Persons. Cancer and Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr/Transsexual, and Queer/Qutng (LGBTQ)Populatns.

WHEN TO PROSTATE NCER, 'GAY MEN ARE ERASED,' PATIENTS SAY

But the unique challeng facg gay and bisexual men wh prostate ncer have largely gone who have sex wh men (MSM) are ls likely to get regular prostate ncer screengs, and those who are diagnosed are ls likely to have faial and social support, acrdg to rearch ced by the Natnal Instut of Health. And if their health re provir is not culturally petent, gay and bisexual men are much ls likely to unrstand how treatment will impact their qualy of life. ”As a rult, Margoli add, many lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr patients go back the closet when they beg ncer treatment.

“I’ve been a gay activist — and been out — so long that I took for granted I uld talk openly to my doctors, ” he told NBC News. Brass’ said his sexual functn was relatively good, but stead he stggled wh ntence for weeks — g as many as ne “pads” a day and stayg wh yards of a bathroom at all you’re gay and you go to a urologist who hasn’t alt wh gay men, they’ll tell you, 'Brg your wife wh you.

PROSTATE CANCER HAS 'MORE PROFOUND' IMPACT ON GAY MEN

'"He joed a prostate ncer support group specifilly for gay and bisexual men at Mount Sai Hospal Manhattan, one of several anized by the natnal advocy anizatn wh other queer men “allowed to be very open about our feelgs — and our sexualy — and to be empathetic wh each other, ” Brass said. They don’t want to hear other men be vulnerable, and they don’t want to hear about gay sex.

“If you’re gay and you go to a urologist who hasn’t alt wh gay men, they’ll tell you, ‘Brg your wife wh you, ’" he said. "A NEGLECTED AREA"It’s impossible to know how many gay men have been diagnosed prostate ncer, bee qutns about sexualy are rarely clud rearch studi. “The medil muny say, ‘We don’t want to ask olr heterosexual men qutns that might upset them, ’" Simon Rosser, an LGBTQ health specialist and -thor of "Gay and Bisexual Men Livg Wh Prostate Cancer, " told NBC Rosser, PhD, MPH, is a profsor at the Universy of Mnota School of Public Health.

CANCER RISKS FOR GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN

Universy of MnotaA profsor at the Universy of Mnota School of Public Health, Rosser has received a $3 ln grant om the Natnal Cancer Instute to put together the first prehensive rehabilatn program specifilly for gay and bisexual men wh prostate ncer. ” For gay men, so long ignored by medice, Rosser believ those rat are much higher. ”Rosser said the silence and shame surroundg the topic allows ugly myths to flourish — like that gay sex somehow “ed” their ncer.

“Gay men have a lot to offer the subject of prostate ncer. And we have studi that show out are different for gay men: We have worse mental health, we have greater urary problems, but our sexual out are reliably better.

Gettg the disease, ironilly, is somethg of a luxury for a gay men of Brass’ age: Too many had their liv cut short by the AIDS epimic long before they’d typilly be diagnosed (the average age for a prostate ncer diagnosis is 66) the advent of lifavg antiretroviral dgs the mid-1990s, though, gay men are fally reachg their goln years. ”It stole a generatn, but the AIDS epimic also tght gay men how to fight disease, how to ask qutns and how to mand better treatment. And, I thk, as gay men, we brg a ep feelg of passn, empathy and humor.

WHEN GAY MEN GET PROSTATE CANCER

May 15, 2011 (Washgton, DC) — Gay men treated for prostate ncer reported lower health-related qualy-of-life sr than generalized populatns of men, acrdg to a first-of-s kd study prented here at the Amerin Urologil Associatn (AUA) 2011 Annual Scientific Meetg.

In an Inter-based survey, 92 gay men om the Uned Stat and Canada reported worse functng — cludg for mental health — and worse physil symptoms "across the board, " said senr thor David Lati, PhD, om Baylor College of Medice Hoton, Texas. "The negative impact on gay men is more profound than that of straight men terms of health-related qualy of life, " said Tomas L.

PROSTATE CANCER GAY, BISEXUAL, AND OTHER MEN WHO HAVE SEX WH MEN: A REVIEW

Gay men prise an timated 3% to 5% of adult mal the Uned Stat, and the same proportn of gay men have prostate ncer as the general populatn, said Dr.

But there are some possible explanatns, he said, cludg a lack of prostate ncer support groups for gay men.

Gay men might also experience adverse effects om prostate ncer treatment differently than straight men, Dr. Some gree of loss of erectile functn might have more of an impact durg gay sex, he suggted.

CANCER RAT SIGNIFINTLY HIGHER GAY MEN, BUT STUDY LACKED DATA ON HIV

Sheddg light on the big effect of prostate ncer on gay men will be a challenge, noted Dr.

"We had to fight tooth and nail for 2 years to fd the 92 guys, " he said, explag that ads on the Inter, as well as flyers f, bars, and rtrants gay muni, were ed for outreach.

The gay male rponnts also reported signifintly worse EPIC sexual functng sr (P <. 01) than norms, but not signifintly worse sexual bother sr — which was the rare exceptn which gay men fared better than their heterosexual unterparts. Compared wh norms, the gay men reported signifintly worse mental health functng (P <.