Prostate cancer disclosure and sexual orientation: Understanding outness to healthcare providers as a situational or consistent phenomenon.
Daniel R Wells-Prado, Michael W Ross, B R Simon Rosser and 9 others
PMID 34865891WHAT IT FOUND
Prostate cancer survivors who have sex with men were often out about their sexual orientation, but being out about it was not related to being out about cancer.
Disclosure to providers was associated with more discussion of sex between men side effects.
Key findings
01148 participants were out to all about their sexual orientation or their prostate cancer diagnosis, but sexual orientation disclosure was not significantly correlated with prostate cancer diagnosis disclosure.
02Participants were less out to providers than they were out regarding sexual orientation generally.
03Surgeons and urologists discussed sexual side effects significantly more with men who were out to all about their sexual orientation, and primary care physicians discussed sex between men side effects significantly more with men who were out to all.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Participants were recruited through a men's cancer support group and social media, so they may not represent all gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men with prostate cancer. The sample was described as homogeneous, so results may not generalize to other populations or healthcare settings. Most participants were already out to all, so there were fewer less-out men to compare. The study measured associations at one time, so it cannot show that disclosure caused more discussion. 45 participants who saw urologists were not asked the follow-up question about outness to their urologist. A urologist may have played multiple roles, such as surgeon or oncologist, so provider categories may overlap. The authors caution against reading too much into differences between oncologists, surgeons, and urologists.
Declared interests
The article is listed as supported by N.I.H. extramural research. The supplied text does not include a conflict-of-interest declaration.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that disclosure of sexual orientation improves care. The study only measured associations and did not test any intake or education change.