What are the Guidelines for Trans People?
Differently from Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer affects only a part of the population. Within the Trans community, those who have a prostate, normally assigned male at birth, are the ones at risk.
Little is known about the impact of Gender Affirming Hormone Therapy (GAHT) on the likelihood of developing prostate cancer. Prostate cancer rates do appear to be lower among transgender women than they are among cisgender men. However, the interpretation of these rates is limited by the fact that transgender women often experience barriers to care. Nearly a third of them live in poverty, and many avoid the health system for fear of mistreatment. The numbers regarding gender non-conforming people assigned male at birth were not found.
Then what are the next steps for Trans people in the fight against Breast Cancer?
What is agreed upon is that the risk of prostate cancer is increased for individuals over 50 years of age. Therefore, it is recommended for Trans individuals who have a prostate to have regular testing once they reach that age.
“Future research should aim to understand baseline PSA values for those on gender-affirming hormones, and to understand how to navigate some of the psychosocial barriers around PSA screening so as to not stigmatize transgender patients,” says Dr. Farnoosh Nik-Ahd, a urologist at the University of California, San Francisco, and author of two recent papers regarding prostate cancer in the Trans Community. You can access the papers here and here.
The TSEF recommends Trans people of all identities to discuss their need for Prostate Cancer testing with their personal doctor or in spaces dedicated to LGBTQ+ health.