Heteronormativity and prostate cancer: A discursive paper

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Health Equity
• Sociology in Medicine

Background:

• International evidence indicates Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) cancer patients may underreport poor health or conceal sexual orientation.
• Prostate cancer, a gender-specific cancer, necessitates targeted supportive care interventions, including managing side effects like incontinence and erectile dysfunction.
• Heteronormative assumptions within prostate cancer care may impede effective supportive care for LGBT individuals, particularly men who have sex with men.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the risks posed by heteronormative assumptions in prostate cancer care.
• To identify strategies for addressing these risks and improving supportive care for all patients.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical exploration of heteronormativity within the clinical context of prostate cancer.
• Inclusion of relevant international evidence and clinical discussion.

Main Results:

• Heteronormative assumptions can complicate prostate cancer information provision, supportive care, and discussions of male sexuality.
• Avoiding assumptions about sexual orientation in clinical encounters is challenging but essential.
• Patient experience, including the needs of LGBT patients, must be central to service development.

Conclusions:

• Clinical practice should avoid assumptions about sexual orientation, recording information accurately and sensitively.
• Promoting relational models of care at the outset of cancer treatment can mitigate risks of embarrassment or offense.
• Awareness of heteronormative risks enhances equitable service provision for all prostate cancer patients, including non-heterosexual men.