LGBTQ+ statistics on cancer screening

Research shows that LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer) community members experience a variety of inequities regarding cancer screening and early detection care.^1,2,3

There is no systematic collection of gender and sex data in population-based cancer research and registries within Australia. Most research within this area has been undertaken through convenience sampling with small sample sizes and is not necessarily representative of the wider Australian LGBTQ+ community.

Cancer Council Victoria has compiled relevant statistics from a range of research on different cancer screening projects to help healthcare providers and organisations understand inequities faced by and demonstrate the opportunities to improve the experience for LGBTQ+ audiences.

Cervical screening

• Using data from the Private Lives survey (a large Australian survey of LGBTQ adults aged over 18 years), a 2019 La Trobe University study found that only 58 per cent of LGBTQ+ Australians eligible for cervical screening had done a Cervical Screening Test in the previous two years.⁴ Latest preliminary data from AIHW shows that 68 per cent of the eligible Australian population have participated in cervical screening over the five years 2018-2022.⁵
  • Lesbian and gay participants were less likely to access screening than participants who identified as bisexual or queer.
  • Asexual participants were the least likely of all sexualities to access screening.
  • Among transgender men with a cervix, participation was found to be as low as 38.9 per cent.
• A 2022 Australian study of 196 transgender and gender diverse people with a cervix revealed that 44.6 per cent of participants had never had a health professional recommend a Cervical Screening Test. Furthermore, 48.08 per cent had never had a Cervical Screening Test and only 21.1 per cent took part in regular cervical screening.⁶
• A 2019 study of 537 transgender and gender diverse Australians with a cervix found that 51 per cent of transgender men and 49.6 per cent of gender diverse people had never been offered a Cervical Screening Test before. Additionally, the study also found that 66.3 per cent of transgender men had never had a Cervical Screening Test.⁷

Breast screening

• According to 2020 data from the Victorian Agency for Health Information, 22.6 per cent of LGBTQ+ people eligible for breast screening aged 50 to 74 have never had a mammogram. This is compared to 10.4 per cent of eligible women aged 50 to 74 who do not identify as LGBTQ+ having never had a breast screening.⁸
• A 2019 study of 537 transgender and gender diverse Australians found that 60 per cent of transgender women, 52.5 per cent of trans men and 42.0 per cent of gender diverse people had “little concern” for developing breast cancer.⁷

Bowel screening

There is very little data on the participation rates of LGBTQ+ communities participating in National Bowel Screening Program.

• The Victorian Agency for Health’s 2017 health survey revealed there was no significant difference in the proportions of LGBTQ+ Victorians and non-LGBTQ+ Victorians who had participated in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program.⁹
• ACON and the Cancer Institute of NSW’s health promotion initiative Can We found that among the LGBTQI+ people aged 50 to 74 they surveyed almost a third had never done a bowel cancer screening test kit.⁹
• People within the LGBTQ+ community have higher rates of smoking and drinking alcohol at risky levels which can be contributing factors of developing bowel cancer. For example, people who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual within Australia are 1.5 times as likely to smoke daily (16.7 per cent) compared to non-LGBTQ+ Australians (10.8 per cent).¹⁰

Research has shown that healthcare professionals lack confidence in understanding the systemic barriers faced by LGBTQ+ communities in cancer prevention treatment.^11,12

• A 2021 study of 357 Australian healthcare professionals found that 56 per cent of survey participants assumed their patient’s gender was the same as what was assigned at birth.¹¹
• Only a third (33 per cent) of survey participants reported having taken active steps to be LGBTQ+ inclusive.¹¹
• In 2022 Cancer Council Victoria conducted a literature review to better understand cervical screening barriers and strategies to support LGBTQ+ Australians to participate in cervical screening. It found that “limited rigorous research has been conducted into understanding the uptake and barriers cervical screening participation in the LGBTIQ+ community, particularly in an Australian context”. The review also found that this population may experience “significant challenges in participating and may require further intervention to promote, motivate and support screening in an inclusive and safe environment”.

• Cancer screening resources for the LGBTIQ+ community
• Download Cancer Council’s LGBTQI+ People and Cancer booklet to learn more
• Find links to support networks for LGBTIQ+ communities
• Learn about the barriers faced by LGBTIQ+ communities and how healthcare professionals can improve cancer screening rates among LGBTIQ+ communities
• For further information about targeted cancer screening health promotion initiatives for LGBTQI+ communities, visit our case studies page

• Dhillon N, Oliffe JL, Kelly MT, Krist J. Bridging barriers to cervical cancer screening in transgender men: a scoping review. American journal of men's health. 2020 May;14(3):1557988320925691.
• Berner AM, Connolly DJ, Pinnell I, Wolton A, MacNaughton A, Challen C, Nambiar K, Bayliss J, Barrett J, Richards C. Attitudes of transgender men and non-binary people to cervical screening: a cross-sectional mixed-methods study in the UK. British Journal of General Practice. 2021 Aug 1;71(709):e614-25.
• Ceres M, Quinn GP, Loscalzo M, Rice D. Cancer screening considerations and cancer screening uptake for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons. InSeminars in oncology nursing 2018 Feb 1 (Vol. 34, No. 1, pp. 37-51). WB Saunders.
• Kerr L, Bourne A, Hill AO, McNair R, Wyatt K, Lyons A, Carman M, Amos N (2023) The importance of LGBTQ affirming cervical screening services for achieving cervical cancer elimination in Australia. Melbourne, Australia: Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University.
• Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2023) Cancer screening programs: quarterly data, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 24 May 2023.
• Kerr L, Fisher CM, Jones T. Improving Cervical Screening in Trans and Gender-Diverse People. Cancer Nursing. 2022 Jan 1;45(1):37-42. 
• Kerr L, Fisher C, Jones T. TRANScending discrimination in health & cancer care: a study of trans & gender diverse Australians 2019.
• Victorian Agency for Health Information 2020, The health and wellbeing of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer population in Victoria: Finding 
• Bowel Screening [Internet]. Can We. Available from: https://canwe.org.au/staying-healthy/bowel-screening/
• Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. 2022. Alcohol, tobacco & other drugs in Australia. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/phe/221/alcohol-tobacco-other-drugs-australia/contents/population-groups-of-interest/patterns-of-consumption-by-drug-type
• Ussher JM, Perz J, Allison K, Power R, Hawkey A, Dowsett GW, Hickey M, Parton C, McDonald FE, Davis ID, Quinn GP. Attitudes, knowledge and practice behaviours of oncology health care professionals towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) patients and their carers: A mixed-methods study. Patient education and counselling. 2021 Dec 15.
• Haviland KS, Swette S, Kelechi T, Mueller M. Barriers and Facilitators to Cancer Screening Among LGBTQ Individuals With Cancer. Oncol Nurs Forum. 2020 Jan 1;47(1):44-55. doi: 10.1188/20.ONF.44-55. PMID: 31845916; PMCID: PMC7573971.