A recent study published in Cancer on July 21 has found that prostate cancer outcomes for transgender women (TGW) are largely similar to those for cisgender (CG) men, including prostate cancer-specific mortality rates.
This research indicates that transgender identity does not significantly affect the risk of metastatic presentation or high-risk localized disease in prostate cancer patients.
The study was conducted by Dr. Margaret Meagher and her colleagues from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine.
They utilized data from the Veterans Affairs Informatics and Computing Infrastructure database spanning from 1999 to 2020 and the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare database from 2010 to 2017.
The researchers matched TGW and CG men in a 5:1 ratio based on age, race, year of diagnosis, and Charlson Comorbidity Index score, resulting in a study population of 1,194 patients, including 199 TGW and 995 CG men.
The findings revealed no significant differences in metastatic presentation, high-risk localized disease, or prostate cancer-specific mortality between the two groups. Interestingly, the study noted a significant association between transgender identity and improved overall survival rates.
These results challenge previous studies that suggested worse prostate cancer outcomes for transgender individuals, emphasizing the need for more research in this area.
The study also noted that several of its authors have disclosed connections to the biopharmaceutical industry, which may be relevant for interpreting the results.
Despite this, the research provides important insights into prostate cancer outcomes for TGW, underscoring the necessity for further investigation to confirm these findings and explore the underlying reasons for the observed trends in overall survival.
