Cancer-Related Pain and Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity: An Intersectional Approach

BACKGROUND: We examined cancer-related pain in sexual and gender minorities (SGM) compared with heterosexual cisgender populations and evaluated sociodemographic factors within SGM and heterosexual cisgender cancer survivors. METHODS: We combined 2014 to 2023 data of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System from 23 states and Guam that administered the sexual orientation and gender identity module and the pain-specific cancer survivorship module. Our analytic sample consisted of 56,217 cancer survivors, 1,655 of whom identified as SGM. RESULTS: Sexual minority cancer survivors reported twice or more the prevalence of cancer pain than heterosexual cisgender survivors, with gender minority cancer survivors reporting cancer pain most frequently (28%), followed by sexual minority women (17%), and sexual minority men (14%). Sociodemographic subgroups, consisting of younger, unmarried, not employed, and those with low income, are at increased risk of experiencing cancer pain. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings point to heterogeneity among sexual minority cancer survivors' prevalence of pain and additional efforts to characterize gender minorities' disparities in cancer pain. IMPACT: There is an urgent need for evidence-based real-life clinical data characterization of SGM cancer pain disparities and efforts to reduce their cancer-related pain. See related In the Spotlight, p. 1236.