Homosexual men are more likely to have had cancer than heterosexual men

Gay men are twice as likely to have been diagnosed with cancer as straight men and, on average, it happened a decade earlier. The difference in the numbers could be down to the higher rate of anal cancer in homosexual men or HIV infection, which has been linked to cancer. HIV can cause certain types of cancer, and gay men are at a greater risk of HIV than straight men. Another factor potentially having an impact is Human Papilloma Virus, which can lead to anal cancer in gay men. In addition, smoking is more common in homosexual men and women than in heterosexual people and this may lead to higher cancer rates. Lesbian and bisexual women are more than twice as likely as heterosexual women to say that they were in fair or poor health.