The University of Illinois Cancer Center shines a light on recent LGBTQ+ and cancer-related research and events.
Research
Cancer Center members Hunter Holt, MD, MAS, and Caryn Peterson, PhD, were among the coauthors of the study, “Sexual Orientation and Cervical Cancer Screening Among Cisgender Women,” recently published in the journal JAMA Network Open.
The study found lesbian and bisexual women in Chicago are less likely to be up to date on cervical cancer screening than heterosexual women, but that gap narrows significantly when lesbian and bisexual women have a primary care provider. Survey data from the Chicago Department of Health from 2020-22 of over 5,000 cisgender women living in Chicago were used.
Of the women who identified as heterosexual, 77% reported being up to date on the screening. Only 71% of those who identified as lesbian or bisexual said they were up to date. Having a primary care provider made a difference for both groups, but the impact of that factor was larger for lesbian and bisexual women. Lesbian and bisexual women with a primary care provider were 93% more likely to be up to date on their screenings than lesbian and bisexual women without a primary care provider, nearly twice the difference in screening rates for heterosexual women.
The women in the study were 25-64 years old and had no history of a hysterectomy. Being up to date on cervical cancer screening, a critical step in preventing the cancer, was defined as having been screened in the past three years.
Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program Community Navigator Annual Training
Cancer Center Research Scientist Leslie Carnahan, PhD, MPH, who is also a Cancer Center member, and Senior Research Specialist Ana Waite, DDS, MHA, MPH, facilitated a two-day, in-person annual training for the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program Community Navigator Annual Training. The training featured guest speaker, Kyle Miller, PhD, LCSW, from the SIU School of Medicine, Department of Population Science and Policy, who discussed outreach approaches for community navigators to successfully engage IBCCP priority populations, including LGBTQ+ populations, in cancer prevention and promoting early screening and detection for cervical cancer.
Pride South Side
The Cancer Center has registered to be an exhibitor at the 6th annual Pride South Side festival, which will take place July 6 at 740 E. 56th Place in Chicago. This year’s theme is The Right to Pride. The event will feature opportunities to learn more about the roles of the Black, Latinx and LGBTQI+ voting rights and elections in public policy.
Everybody Say Love: A Pride Month Celebration
This June 24 Pride Month event at Gilda’s Club Chicago, 537 N. Wells Street in Chicago, features a panel discussion about intimacy, relationships and community health and well-being that includes Walter Swift, MPH, who is part of the Cancer Center’s Office of Community Engagement and Health Equity.