Conclusion: What Have We Learned About Cancer and the Global LGBT Community?

Abstract

Our reflections on cancer and the global lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community are informed by the valuable descriptions from each of the six World Health Organization (WHO) regions, which have been generated by a diverse group of authors. One of the similarities across high-income and low- or middle-income countries is that public health data on LGBT individuals and cancer-related health are insufficient in all countries or regions, with all authors calling for more sexual orientation and gender identity data collection. We argue a reductionist view of sexual orientation, highlighting only sexual and gender minorities’ sexual behaviors, erases the complexity of LGBT individuals’ health concerns and cancer-related health, in particular. Officially recognizing LGBT individuals as a population group that experiences inequities in cancer-related health is only a first step, which needs to be followed with strategies for change and improvements. There is not one universal strategy to advance cancer control among LGBT populations globally. Varied approaches are needed, grounded in each county’s economic, social, legal, and cultural contexts, and tailored to the specific LGBT population.