Higher cancer rates reported among gay men

From Yahoo News: WASHINGTON (AFP) – A large study in California released Monday found that cancer may be nearly twice as prevalent among gay men as among straight men. The study relied on self-reported data from the California Health Interview survey, the largest state survey of its kind in the United States, and included more than 120,000 people over three years: 2001, 2003 and 2005. A total of 3,690 men reported a cancer diagnosis as adults. Gay men were 1.9 times as likely as straight men to have been diagnosed with cancer, said the study published in the peer-reviewed journal Cancer. There was no such difference witnessed among lesbian and straight women, but gay and bisexual females were twice as likely to say they were in fair or poor health after a cancer diagnosis compared to their heterosexual counterparts. Lead author Ulrike Boehmer of the Boston University School of Public Health said the data can help guide services for the gay community. “Because more gay men report as cancer survivors, we need foremost programs for gay men that focus on primary cancer prevention and early cancer detection,” she said.
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