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Sherry Pagoto, PhD |
A new study in JAMA Dermatology indicates that gay and bisexual men are using tanning beds more frequently and reporting higher rates of skin cancer than heterosexual men— alarming statistics that warrant research, according to an accompanying editorial by Sherry Pagoto, PhD, associate professor of medicine at UMass Medical School, and Aaron J. Blashill, PhD, assistant professor at San Diego State University.
Drs. Pagoto and Blashill said the significant sexual orientation health disparities among gay and bisexual men in regard to skin cancer and use of indoor tanning must be studied.
“To the extent that sexual minority groups continue to be neglected in skin cancer prevention research, they will remain untargeted in public health campaigns, further facilitating this health disparity,” wrote Pagoto and Blashill.
According to the study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, gay and bisexual men indoor tan more frequently and report higher rates of skin cancer than heterosexual men. The study, which reviewed data of approximately 81,500 men who self-reported diagnoses of skin cancer from the California Health Interview Surveys and the National Health Interview Survey, said skin cancer among gay and bisexual men in the group was 4.3 percent and 6.7 percent (respectively by survey) compared to 2.7 percent and 3.2 percent in heterosexual males. In addition, 5.1 percent and 7.4 percent of gay and bisexual men reported a prevalence of tanning during a 12-month period compared to 1.5 percent and 1.6 percent of heterosexual men. Indoor tanning is a key risk factor for skin cancer. Despite this, Pagoto and Blashill say no trials or interventions have focused on reducing indoor tanning among gay or bisexual men.
Pagoto and Blashill wrote that research must also be conducted to determine why gay and bisexual men have higher rates of skin cancer than their heterosexual counterparts. In their editorial they suggest that a reason could be associated with the results of a “sexual minority stress model”—stigma, prejudice, discrimination and victimization—which can lead to elevated psychological distress and in turn lead to health risk behaviors, such as indoor tanning as a means to improve one’s self-perception.
“Ultimately, reducing health disparities in sexual minorities will also require recognizing and eliminating bias and stigma in both research and clinical practice,” the authors wrote.
In addition, Pagoto and Blashill recommended that physicians assess sexual orientation as part of routine care and inform the patients of their reasons for doing so as a means to improve care and lend insights about this population.
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