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Soo Park, MD
Soo Park, MD
Posted: Tuesday, August 13, 2024
Based on the results of a U.S. population–based cross-sectional study, which were published in JAMA Dermatology, sexual orientation seemed to be associated with differential lifetime prevalence of skin cancer. However, according to Matthew D. Mansh, MD, of the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues, these relative differences varied among men and women across racial and ethnic groups and by individual sexual identities.
Using data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System from January 2014 to December 2021, the investigators focused on 1,512,400 adults. Of this population, 53.2% were heterosexual women, 2.6% were sexual minority women, 42.2% were heterosexual men, and 2.0% were sexual minority men. The participants were also categorized into racial and ethnic groups: 6.6% were Hispanic; 3.4% were non-Hispanic Asian, Pacific Islander, or Hawaiian; 7.5% were non-Hispanic Black; 78.2% were non-Hispanic White; and 4.3% were another race or ethnicity.
The investigators reported an overall higher lifetime prevalence of skin cancer among sexual minority vs heterosexual men (7.4% vs 6.8%); based on the analyses stratified by race and ethnicity, this specifically included Hispanic (4.0% vs 1.6%) and non-Hispanic Black (1.0% vs 0.5%) men. Such analyses also revealed that the lifetime prevalence of skin cancer was lower among non-Hispanic White sexual minority vs heterosexual women (7.8% vs 8.5%). Conversely, the rates were found to be higher among Hispanic (2.1% vs 1.8%) and non-Hispanic Black (1.8% vs 0.5%) sexual minority women.
“Future research and public health interventions should consider race and ethnicity and individual sexual identity when addressing skin cancer and related risk behaviors, with a particular emphasis on Black and Hispanic sexual minority men and women and White gay men,” the investigators concluded. “Such efforts may help inform screening guidelines and primary prevention efforts aimed at reducing the rates of skin cancer among all people.”
Disclosure: Dr. Mansh reported no conflicts of interest. For full disclosures of the other study authors, visit jamanetwork.com.
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