A new study from the American Cancer Society (ACS) has found that “minority stress” experienced by LGBTQ+ people can lead to cancer. ACS’s 2024 Cancer Facts and Figures report published in January, produced data on the rates of cancer in all people
According to Pink News, minority stress is the physical stress response that is triggered by experiences of discrimination and prejudice. ACS’s report finds that enduring these hardships can affect people on a “cellular level.”
“Psychological stress influences biochemical changes such as increased cortisol levels, which can lead to chronic inflammation that increases the risk of cancer and other diseases,” the study found. It also found that queer people of color experience minority stress at a high rate, and are as a result, more likely to express gene mutations related to cancer.
ACS’s report urges the American public to stay up to date on cancer screenings and warns that discrimination in healthcare settings can discourage LGBTQ+ people from seeking medical care. The study found that more than half of LGBTQ+ adults have experienced discrimination in healthcare settings, and one in six of these people avoid seeking medical help for this reason, an even higher quotient when evaluating statistics from transgender medical patients.
Currently, nine states in the U.S. make it legal for medical providers to refuse care to LGBTQ+ patients. The consequence of this? LGBTQ+ people are not only experiencing more discrimination in daily life which can lead to maladaptive cancer-causing behaviors, but they are also avoiding healthcare settings which are meant to diagnose and quickly treat cancers and other deadly illnesses. Because LGBTQ+ people are avoiding medical care, they may be diagnosed at a later stage in their illness, making it more difficult to reverse.
