LGBT+ and Cancer in the WHO European Region: Current Situation in 12 Eastern European and Central Asian Countries

Yelena N. Tarasenko, Alexander Sasha Kondakov, Vitaly Smelov

Research output: Contribution to book or proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

Throughout the history of the 12 Eastern European and Central Asian Countries (EECA), three different approaches to addressing diversity and inclusion of the LGBT+ community emerged in the law. These approaches manifested in three different healthcare environments. First, an inclusive environment, which guarantees access to healthcare regardless of patients’ SOGIESC. Second, an indifferent environment, which has neither written laws nor policies that guarantee access to healthcare regardless of patients’ SOGIESC. Third, an exclusionary environment, which has official discriminatory norms that condition biased attitudes of healthcare professionals toward patients because of their SOGIESC. Common to all environments is the historical experience of the 12 EECA countries with the stigmatization of cancer and lack or low levels of cancer education and cancer literacy. This experience adds an extra layer of complexity to research on cancer disparities among the LGBT+ community and development of evidence-based interventions that guarantee LGBT+ community inclusive access to healthcare along the cancer control continuum and development of health systems sufficiently resilient to meeting the challenges of the increasing cancer burden in the WHO European Region.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationLGBT Populations and Cancer in the Global Context
PublisherSpringer International Publishing
Pages165-188
Number of pages24
ISBN (Electronic)9783031065859
ISBN (Print)9783031065842
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2022

Scopus Subject Areas

  • General Medicine

Keywords

  • Cancer
  • Cancer control
  • Cancer surveillance
  • Eastern Europe and Central Asia
  • Health inequity
  • IARC
  • LGBT
  • LMIC
  • SOGIESC
  • WHO

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