Abstract B163: Researcher, Clinician, and Community Focus Groups to Inform an Understanding of Cancer Disparities in the Transgender and Gender Diverse
Authors: Cawthra Tobi , Cortina Chandler , Pinsoneault laura , Munson Michael , Petroll Andrew , Stolley Melinda 
Published: September 2024

Background: A growing number of Americans identify as transgender or gender diverse (TGD). This population experiences barriers and challenges across to socio-ecological spectrum including healthcare. Simultaneously, there is limited data on cancer in TGD persons. While advances in data-capture provide promising opportunity for future research, a comprehensive understanding of cancer disparities for the TGD community is needed to inform clinically and socially relevant research questions – particularly on cancer prevention, risk, screening, and treatment. Our study aimed to develop a transdisciplinary (TDS) academic-community team to create a shared understanding of factors associated with cancer disparities in the TGD population with aid from discussion sessions and interviews with researchers, clinicians, and community members. Methods: The TDS team engaged in literature reviews and discussion to ground their collective understanding. The team also conducted focus groups and interviews with researchers, clinicians, and community members (N=55) to enrich the team’s understanding of factors associated with cancer disparities. Data were summarized and thematized and groups were compared. Results: Community organizations/members noted systemic issues such as insufficient training of healthcare providers and staff, individual mistrust, and not believing they would live long enough to worry about cancer development. Providers identified personal uncertainty working with TGD patients, knowledge of appropriate recommendations for cancer screening, and individual risk behaviors (i.e. tobacco and alcohol use) as potential causes for cancer disparities. Researchers indicated they had not considered including TGD individuals as a specific subject population, were unsure how to study given lack of mouse models for early-stage research and acknowledged the opportunity for future study inclusion. Further, community members discussed the persistent stress of existing as a TGD person during a time of increasingly aggressive anti-TNB legislation and social attitudes. Healthcare providers and researchers reflected on the behavioral and physiological impact of stress on an individual’s health and cancer risk. Conclusion: The findings from our focus groups elucidated areas of shared understanding between the three different audiences; however, they also highlighted concepts that were not shared which offer opportunities for further collaboration and learning by key stakeholders. Through our TDS and collaborative approach, we will continue deep learning between team members to identify specific research questions to address the root causes of TGD cancer disparities through TDS collaboration and innovative research.

Citation Format: Tobi Cawthra, Chandler Cortina, laura Pinsoneault, Michael Munson, Andrew Petroll, Melinda Stolley. Researcher, Clinician, and Community Focus Groups to Inform an Understanding of Cancer Disparities in the Transgender and Gender Diverse [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 17th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2024 Sep 21-24; Los Angeles, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2024;33(9 Suppl):Abstract nr B163.