Understanding and Reducing Risks via Infection in LBT Women

Several infections are associated with increased risk of developing cancer. For example, persistent infection with high-risk strains of human papillomavirus causes cervical cancer. Our understanding of the association between infection and cancer in lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LBT) women is hampered by an absence of population-based data for LBT women. Formal epidemiologic studies of cancer, in general, and infection-associated cancer, in particular, among LBT individuals are lacking. This absence of robust epidemiologic data makes our understanding of infection-related cancer in the LBT women limited and speculative. This chapter attempts to summarize available epidemiologic data for infection-associated cancers in LBT women, highlight gaps in our knowledge, review interventions that have been used to reduce risk for infection-associated cancers in LBT women, and discuss challenges to research and policy that must be addressed in order prevent infection-associated cancers and reduce cancer disparities experienced by LBT women.