Gay men get cancer almost twice as often as heterosexual men, and lesbian and bisexual women who are cancer survivors reported being less healthy than heterosexual women who had the disease.
The greater prevalence of cancer among gay men may be caused by an excess risk of anal cancer, and may also reflect the higher rate of HIV infection, which is linked to certain cancers, according to the report in the journal Cancer.
The results show the greatest need for intervention is in cancer prevention and detection in gay men, according to the study authors.
In addition, lesbian and bisexual cancer survivors should be targeted to improve their health outcomes.
“This information can be used for the development of services for the lesbian, gay, and bisexual population,” said the study's lead author, Ulrike Boehmer, an associate professor at Boston University's School for Public Health, in a statement.
Merck’s Gardasil vaccine approved in 2006 for the human papillomavirus that causes cervical cancer in women, was also cleared in December to prevent anal cancer and precancerous lesions.
The study used data from the California Health Interview survey from 2001, 2003, and 2005.
A total of 7,252 women and 3,690 men reported cancer diagnoses as adults.
Of the 51,000 men surveyed, 5 per cent of straight men were diagnosed with cancer, compared with 8.3 per cent of gay men.
Cancer rates didn't differ significantly by sexual orientation among the 71,000 women included in the survey.
Among the female cancer survivors, 73 percent of heterosexual women reported excellent, very good, or good health.
In lesbian women, that number was 66 percent, and in bisexual women, 60 percent, according to the study.
Bloomberg