Cancer Prevention and Screening in Gender-Diverse Communities

Cancer prevention and screening are important for everyone, but members of sexual and gender-diverse communities can face unique barriers to accessing appropriate, affirming care. In this Mayo Clinic cancer conversation, medical oncologist Elizabeth Cathcart-Rake, M.D., discusses cancer risk, prevention and screening considerations for LGBTQ+ and gender-diverse individuals. She explains how anatomy, family history, gender-affirming therapies and individual risk factors can influence screening recommendations and why conversations with a trusted healthcare professional are so important. The discussion also explores barriers that can prevent people from receiving recommended screenings — including previous negative healthcare experiences, cost, health inequities, gender dysphoria and a lack of inclusive information. Cancer survivor and advocate Mia Inez Adams then shares her personal cancer journey and experiences navigating the healthcare system as a transgender woman. Her story highlights the importance of patient advocacy, respectful communication, understanding family medical history and creating healthcare environments where people feel heard and respected. The program concludes with audience questions covering nutrition and cancer prevention, HPV vaccination, affirming terminology, healthcare bias, patient privacy and ways healthcare professionals can provide more inclusive care. Key topics include: • Cancer prevention and screening recommendations • Breast, cervical, colorectal, lung and prostate cancer screening • Cancer risk and gender-affirming care • Barriers to cancer screening • LGBTQ+ and gender-diverse healthcare experiences • Cancer survivorship and patient advocacy • Inclusive and affirming communication in healthcare • Nutrition, HPV vaccination and preventive care Talk with your healthcare team about which cancer screenings may be appropriate for you based on your anatomy, age, family history and individual risk factors. 0:00 Welcome and Introduction 1:43 Cancer Care in Gender-Diverse Communities 2:25 Understanding Affirming Healthcare Terminology 4:34 Cancer Risk and Health Inequities 6:39 Gender-Affirming Care and Cancer Risk 9:22 Practical Strategies for Cancer Prevention 10:52 Cancer Screening Guidelines and Recommendations 14:10 Cervical, Colorectal, Lung and Prostate Screening 17:22 Barriers to Cancer Screening and Care 21:33 Creating More Inclusive Cancer Care 26:26 Mia Adams Shares Her Cancer Journey 29:10 Cancer Diagnosis and Advocating for Care 30:30 Navigating Cancer Treatment as a Trans Woman 34:20 Family History, Medical Bias and Communication 37:22 Survivorship and Preventive Healthcare 40:16 Audience Questions on Diet and Prevention 44:11 HPV Vaccination and Supportive Healthcare Experiences 46:18 Affirming Language and Addressing Healthcare Bias 52:09 Improving Patient Intake and Privacy 54:14 Final Questions and Closing Thoughts From Mayo Clinic to your inbox (free): https://mayocl.in/3e71zfi Visit Mayo Clinic: https://mayocl.in/2COVmlm Connect with Mayo Clinic: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mayoclinic Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mayoclinic X: https://x.com/MayoClinic Threads: https://www.threads.net/@mayoclinic