A cross-sectional study on skin cancer screening behaviors in sexual minorities among adults in the United States

To the Editor: Sexual minorities (SMs), including but not limited to individuals identifying as lesbian, gay, or bisexual, have higher rates of skin cancer (SC) and SC-related behavioral risk factors than heterosexual individuals, particularly among SM men (SMM). 1 Marks D.H. Arron S.T. Mansh M. Skin cancer and skin cancer risk factors in sexual and gender minorities. Dermatol Clin. 2020; 38: 209-218 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (6) Google Scholar SMs face disparities in health care access and preventative screening. 2 Healthy people 2030: lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender health. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. https://health.gov/healthypeople/search?query=lgbt+healthDate accessed: March 28, 2023 Google Scholar ,3 Charkhchi P. Schabath M.B. Carlos R.C. Modifiers of cancer screening prevention among sexual and gender minorities in the behavioral risk factor surveillance system. J Am Coll Radiol. 2019; 16: 607-620 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (37) Google Scholar One study found higher rates of SC screening (SCS) among men in same-sex-relationships compared to those in opposite-sex-relationships, 4 Yeung H. Supapannachart K.J. Chen S.C. Skin cancer behavioral risk factors and screening among U.S. Adults in same-sex relationships: a population-based study from 2000 to 2015. LGBT Health. 2022; PubMed Google Scholar but more generalizable studies on SCS among SMs in the general population are lacking. We aimed to identify whether sexual orientation impacts SCS among US adults.